
Class__L . 2 

Book f ^— 

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COPYRIGHT DEPOSm 



THE ENGLISH BIBLE 



BY 



JAMES S. STEVENS 

Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences 
of the University of Maine 



To every man who faces life with real desire to do 
his part in everything, I appeal for a study of the 
Bible. No book of any kind ever written has so 
affected the whole life of a people. 

— Theodore Roosevelt. 




THE ABINGDON PRESS 

NEW YORK CINCINNATI 



S>1 



Copyright, 1921, by 
JAMES S. STEVENS 



OCT 26 1921 



Printed in the United States of America 



§)C!.A624987 



CONTENTS 

PAGE 

Preface 5 

Acknowledgments 7 

Introduction 9 

CHAPTER 

I. A Collection of Passages of Especial Literary 

Value 15 

II. A Brief History of the Period of the Bible 45 

III. The Old Testament Narratives 48 

IV. The New Testament Narratives , . 55 

V. The Major Classics — 1 58 

VI. The Major Classics — II 61 

VII. The Five Minor Classics 68 

VIII. The Earlier Preexilic Prophets 73 

IX. The Later Preexilic Prophets 76 

X. The Prophets of the Exile 78 

XI. The Period of Restoration 80 

XII. The Letters of Paul 83 

XIII. Other New Testament Letters 86 

XIV. The Bible in Poetry 88 

XV. The Bible in Poetry (Continued) 106 

XVI. The Bible in Poetry (Continued) 117 

XVII. The Bible in Oratory 138 

XVIII. The Bible in the Essay 146 

XIX. The Bible in the Novel 151 

XX. The Songs of the Bible 157 

XXL Short Stories of the Bible 168 

XXII. The Literary Characteristics of the Bible .... 171 

XXIII. Figures of Speech in the Bible 174 

XXIV. Exercises for Practice 182 

XXV. Passages for Special Study 187 

XXVI. Topics for Extended Study 222 

XXVII. Examination Questions 225 



PREFACE 

Our knowledge of the Bible has decreased lamentably 
in the last fifty years. In the last chapter of this book 
will be found a set of examination questions which 
was given to a class of about thirty students, many of 
whom were making a special study of English litera- 
ture. The average number of questions answered was 
five. In giving out the questions it was remarked that 
the examination would constitute a general intelligence 
test because it was assumed that one could draw on 
his fund of general information to answer the ques- 
tions, although he might not be a profound biblical 
student. The results seemed to show that the exami- 
nation could by no means be regarded as a general in- 
telligence test. 

It is the opinion of those especially interested in the 
study of the English Bible that there is at present 
something of an awakened interest in the subject. In 
some of our colleges credit is given for systematic work 
done in the Sunday school. In many institutions 
courses are given in biblical literature where the sub- 
ject is presented in its historical development. There 
are a number of textbooks which cover this ground in 
a satisfactory manner. This book recognizes at the 
outset the existing condition that the great majority 
of our young people are lacking in a proper knowledge 
of the Bible itself. About half of the work, therefore, 
is devoted to a direct study of the narratives in order 
to supply a foundation for the literary study with 
which the other half is concerned. 

It is hoped that it may be useful to students in 
schools, colleges, and Sunday schools; and to divinity 
students who may need to extend their knowledge of 
the Bible in this direction. 



ACKNOWLEDGMENTS 

This book contains a large number of quotations 
from poets, novelists, essayists, and orators. It is im- 
possible to make specific acknowledgment for every 
individual quotation, but where they have been ex- 
tensively used permission has been granted by the pub- 
lishers. 

The Houghton Mifflin Company have given permission 
for the use of quotations from The Life and Literature 
of the Ancient Hebrews, by Dr. Lyman Abbott ; for the 
use of quotations from Bayard Taylor's translation of 
Faust ; and for miscellaneous quotations from the Cam- 
bridge Edition of the poets. 

D. C. Heath & Company have permitted us to make 
extracts from Moulton's The Literary Study of the 
Bible; and from Professor Cook's The Bible and Eng- 
lish Prose Style. 

The Funk & Wagnalls Company have given us per- 
mission to make quotations from their book, The 
World's Famous Orations, by W. J. Bryan. 

To these publishers we make grateful acknowledg- 
ment for extending these courtesies. 



INTRODUCTION 

At the outset of a course such as is outlined in these 
pages one is confronted with two difficulties which 
would not exist in connection with the study of any 
other book than the Bible. In the first place there is 
an obvious feeling of sensitiveness on the part of young 
people regarding Bible study. A young man or woman 
who would feel no hesitation in carrying a volume of 
Shakespeare or Goethe across the college campus would 
experience a certain degree of embarrassment if for 
these were substituted the English Bible. This point 
of view does not indicate any lack of appreciation of 
the Bible, but it is a psychological condition resulting 
probably from the association of the Bible with services 
which are related to the concerns of life which young 
men and women do not care to discuss publicly. 

Another difficulty in our approach lies in an exag- 
gerated reverence for the Bible which in some cases 
amounts almost to a superstition. When we read, for 
example, that Senator Beveridge gives it as his opinion 
that the three greatest orations ever delivered were the 
Sermon on the Mount by Jesus Christ, the Address on 
Mars' Hill by Saint Paul, and the Gettysburg Address 
by Abraham Lincoln, we are conscious of a distinct 
shock in our religious sensibilities. It is on account 
of this that the book of Job, which is universally ac- 
corded a very high place in literature, was practically a 
sealed book for many centuries. Since it is a fact that we 
have in the King James version of the English Bible a 
collection of pieces of literature which are unsurpassed, 
it becomes necessary for us to lay aside whatever scru- 
ples we may have concerning its study from any other 
than a religious point of view. It does not detract 

9 



10 INTRODUCTION 

from the ethical value of the Sermon on the Mount to 
study the marvelous skill used by Jesus in setting 
forth his teachings. That the story of the prodigal son 
is called by many critics the best short story ever writ- 
ten should add to its value as a teacher of the Father- 
hood of God. 

It should be said that the first prerequisite for a 
course of study like this should be a profound cultural 
reverence. There are peculiar reasons why the Bible 
should be held in higher reverence than other books, 
but no one can go very far in the study of literature 
unless he takes with him a reverence for the things 
which in the highest sense minister to his culture. A 
college student who recently made a parody on the 
Twenty-third Psalm was properly rebuked by the 
editor of one of our daily newspapers, who stated that 
this student might be witty, but he hoped that some 
time he would gain wisdom. Cultured people experi- 
ence a similar shock when they read parodies on Tenny- 
son's "Crossing of the Bar" or Wordsworth's "Ode on 
the Intimations of Immortality" — two of the most per- 
fect poems in the English language. 

It should not be necessary to make a plea for the 
study of the English Bible as a piece of literature on 
the ground that it is the most frequently quoted book in 
existence. No one can read literature intelligently to 
whom the biblical allusions are meaningless. Mr. E. V. 
Lucas, in an essay in The Outlook, writes of the rich 
who decree a palace dome — a rather senseless expres- 
sion to one who has not read "Kubla Khan." In a simi- 
lar manner one would fail to understand his statement 
that the throwing of the tea into Boston Harbor was 
the most momentous act of jettison since Jonah, unless 
he had read the Bible. The statement made during the 
Great War that Belgium's mighty neighbor coveted 
her vineyard, while more intelligible, is lacking in liter- 
ary charm to one who is ignorant of the setting. 



INTRODUCTION 11 

The course of study outlined in this book may be di- 
vided into about two equal parts. The first part con- 
sists mainly of a study of the narratives contained in 
the Bible and of such books as Ruth, Job, the Psalms, 
Proverbs, and Isaiah as literary masterpieces, to- 
gether with a briefer study of the other books. The 
second part of the book is devoted to a study of the 
Bible as used by the great masters in literature. This 
study is based upon selections from the poets, orators, 
essayists, and novelists. The first part of the course 
should give the student a knowledge of the Bible itself 
and the second part should give him an appreciation of 
the Bible as a piece of literature. No attempt has been 
made to make these studies complete, but it is thought 
that the selections are sufficiently numerous to cover 
the ground of a year's course. Every earnest student 
will find a large number of passages in which the Bible 
has been used by literary people in addition to those 
gathered here. Indeed, it should be one of the chief 
purposes of the course to stimulate the student to col- 
lect such passages. 

A prominent feature of a course such as has been ar- 
ranged should be the notebook. A properly arranged 
and systematized set of notes ought to be the basis of 
a life study of the Bible. 

The list of quotations which follow is taken from the 
utterances of men whose opinions should have great 
weight. It is by no means complete, and it should be 
the purpose of the student to add to this list whenever 
he comes across an appropriate quotation. 

Theodore Roosevelt: To every man who faces life 
with real desire to do his part in everything, I appeal 
for a study of the Bible. No book of any kind ever 
written has so affected the whole life of a people. 

Woodrow Wilson: A man has deprived himself of 
the best there is in the world who has deprived himself 
of intimate knowledge of the Bible. 



12 INTRODUCTION 

James Anthony Fronde: The Bible is in and of itself 
a liberal education. 

John Dry den: If everything else in our language 
should perish, the Bible alone would suffice to show 
the whole extent of its beauty and power. 

Alfred Tennyson: The Bible ought to be read, were 
it only for the sake of the grand English in which it is 
written. 

Samuel Taylor Coleridge: Intense study of the Bible 
will keep any writer from being vulgar in point of 
style. 

Ralph Waldo Emerson: Shakespeare leans upon the 
Bible. 

Thomas H. Huxley: The Bible has been the Magna 
Charta of the poor and the oppressed. 

Lyof A. Tolstoy: Without the Bible the education 
of the child in the present state of society is impossible. 

Giuseppe Garibaldi: The best of allies you can pro- 
cure for us is the Bible. That will bring us the reality 
of freedom. 

Napoleon Bonaparte: Behold it upon this table. I 
never omit to read it, and every day with the same 
pleasure. . . . Not only is one's mind absorbed, 
it is controlled ; and the same can never go astray with 
this book for its guide. 

John Quincy Adams: The first and almost the only 
book deserving of universal attention is the Bible. 

Thomas Paine: As a composition it [the Bible] is 
sublime, beautiful, and scientific; full of sentiment, 
and abounding in grand metaphorical description. 

Daniel Webster: The Bible is the book of all others 
for lawyers as well as divines ; and I pity the man who 
cannot find in it a rich supply of thought, and rule for 
conduct. 

Goethe: It is a belief in the Bible, the fruits of deep 
meditation, which has served me as the guide of my 
moral and literary life. 



INTRODUCTION 13 

John Milton: There are no songs comparable to the 
songs of Zion, no orations equal to those of the prophets, 
and no politics like those which the Scriptures teach. 

Andrew D. White: Our English Bible was trans- 
lated at the very best period of English literature, and 
anyone who has a multitude of passages at his com- 
mand has not only stored up principles of the very 
highest value, but a multitude of the choicest examples 
of our own great literature. 

Professor J. H. Gardiner: In all study of English 
literature, if there be any one axiom which must be 
accepted without a question, it is that the ultimate 
standard of English prose style is set by the King 
James Version of the Bible. 

Professor W. L. Phelps: It is a great book to read — 
from even a literary point of view the greatest book in 
the world. 



CHAPTER I 

A COLLECTION OF PASSAGES OF ESPECIAL 
LITERARY VALUE 

In this chapter are set down lists of passages which 
are readily recognized for their literary excellence, or 
are made use of by the best writers for purposes of il- 
lustration or embellishment. The personal equation 
has, of course, entered largely into the making of these 
selections. Eighty-six passages were selected from the 
larger list and these were submitted to forty-three pro- 
fessors of English and biblical literature, and others 
whose literary judgment is of a high order, and each 
selected twenty-five and from the twenty-five ten which 
seemed to be entitled to especial distinction. Each 
passage chosen among the first ten was given a weight 
of two, and the others in the first twenty-five a weight 
of one. 

The first list, which follows, is the ten passages with 
their weights; the second the fifteen similarly 
weighted; the third list the remaining sixty-one pas- 
sages; and the last list the remaining passages origi- 
nally selected. 

These lists of passages should be used In connection 
with the study of the various books of the Bible. The 
student should be familiar with the setting in each 
case, and be able to explain its literary application. 
The following will serve as illustrations of the method 
of study suggested : Gen. 3. 19 — "In the sweat of thy 
face shalt thou eat bread." This was said by Jehovah 
to Adam when he was expelled from the Garden of 
Eden, and it is frequently quoted to illustrate the 
necessity of labor. 

Judg. 5. 20 — "The stars in their courses fought 

15 



16 THE ENGLISH BIBLE 

against Sisera." This occurs in Deborah's song cele- 
brating an Israelitish victory, and it is a striking ex- 
pression of belief in providential assistance to a right- 
eous cause. 

Psa. 23. 4. The valley of the shadow of death. 55 

Hos. 8. 7. For they have sown the wind, and they 

shall reap the whirlwind. 50 

Matt. 4. 4. Man shall not live by bread alone. 46 

Isa. 2. 4. They shall beat their swords into plow- 
shares. 44 
Gen. 4. 9. Am I my brother's keeper? 40 
Matt. 13. 57. A prophet is not without honor, save 

in his own country. 37 

Matt. 6. 24. No man can serve two masters. 36 

Rom. 6. 23. The wages of sin is death. 36 

Isa. 11. 6. A little child shall lead them. 34 

Matt. 22. 21. Render therefore unto Caesar the 
things which are Caesar's; and unto God the 
things that are God's. 34 



Psa. 8. 5. Thou hast made him a little lower than 

the angels. 32 

Prov. 16. 32. He that ruleth his spirit [is better] 

than he that taketh a city. 32 

Exod. 21. 24. Eye for eye, tooth for tooth. 31 

Psa. 90. 10. The days of our years are threescore 

years and ten. 31 

Eccl. 1. 9. There is no new thing under the sun. 31 
Eccl. 11. 1. Cast thy bread upon the waters: for 

thou shalt find it after many days. 31 

Matt. 7. 20. By their fruits ye shall know them. 31 
Matt. 21. 42. The stone which the builders rejected, 

the same is become the head of the corner. 29 

Exod. 3. 8. A land flowing with milk and honey. 28 
Matt. 5. 13. Ye are the salt of the earth. 28 

Judg. 5. 20. The stars in their courses fought 

against Sisera. 27 



SPECIAL PASSAGES 17 

Jer. 13. 23. Can the Ethiopian change his skin, or 
the leopard his spots? 27 

Mark 3. 25. If a house be divided against itself, 
that house cannot stand. 26 

Isa. 40. 15. As a drop of a bucket. 25 

1 Cor. 15. 32. Let us eat and drink ; for to-morrow 
we die. 25 



Gen. 2. 18. I will make him an help meet for him. 
Gen. 3. 12. The woman . . . gave me of the tree, 

and I did eat. 
Gen. 3. 19. In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat 

bread. 
Gen. 4. 15. And the Lord set a mark upon Cain. 
Gen. 6. 4. There were giants in the earth in those days. 
Gen. 25. 34. Thus Esau despised his birthright. 
Gen. 27. 22. The voice is Jacob's voice, but the hands 

are the hands of Esau. 
Gen. 37. 3. A coat of many colors. 
Exod. 1. 8. There arose up a new king . . . which 

knew not Joseph. 
Exod. 2. 22. A stranger in a strange land. 
Deut. 10. 22. As the stars of heaven for multitude. 
Deut. 24. 6. The nether or the upper millstone. 
Deut. 32. 15. Jeshurun waxed fat and kicked. 
Josh. 9. 27. Hewers of wood and drawers of water. 
Judg. 5. 7. A mother in Israel. 
Euth 1. 16. Whither thou goest, I will go. 
1 Sam. 4. 9. Quit yourselves like men. 
1 Sam. 10. 11. Is Saul also among the prophets? 

1 Sam. 10. 24. God save the king. 

2 Sam. 1. 19. How are the mighty fallen ! 
2 Sam. 1. 20. Tell it not in Gath. 

2 Sam. 12. 7. Thou art the man. 
Job 1. 6. Satan came also among them. 
Job 2. 4. Skin for skin, yea, all that a man hath will 
he give for his life. 



18 THE ENGLISH BIBLE 

Job 11. 7. Canst thou by searching find out God? 
Job 19. 20. I am escaped with the skin of my teeth. 
Psa. 17. 8. As the apple of the eye. 
Psa. 37. 35. Spreading himself like a green bay tree. 
Psa. 137. 5. Let my right hand forget her cunning. 
Prov. 3. 12. Whom the Lord loveth he correcteth. 
Prow 6. 6. Go to the ant, thou sluggard ; consider her 

ways, and be wise. 
Prov. 18. 24. There is a friend that sticketh closer 

than a brother. 
Prov. 22. 28. Bemove not the ancient landmark, which 

thy fathers have set. 
Prov. 27 1. Thou knowest not what a day may bring 

forth. 
Eccl. 9. 10. Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it 

with thy might. 
Songs 2. 1. The rose of Sharon, and the lily of the 

valleys. 
Songs 2. 12. The voice of the turtle is heard in our 

land. 
Songs 2. 15. The little foxes, that spoil the vines. 
Songs 5. 10. Chiefest among ten thousand. 
Songs 6. 4. Terrible as an army with banners. 
Isa. 11. 6. The wolf shall dwell with the lamb. 
Isa. 14. 23. The besom of destruction. 
Isa. 28. 15. A covenant with death, and with hell. 
Isa. 35. 8. Wayfaring men, though fools, shall not err 

therein. 
Isa. 55. 1. Without money and without price. 
Isa. 63. 3. I have trodden the winepress alone. 
Ezek. 18. 2. The fathers have eaten sour grapes, and 

the children's teeth are set on edge. 
Mic. 4. 4. They shall sit every man under his vine and 

under his fig tree. 
Hab. 2. 2. He may run that readeth it. 
Zech. 3. 2. A brand plucked out of the fire. 
Zech. 4. 10. Who hath despised the day of small things. 



SPECIAL PASSAGES 19 

Matt. 13. 46. Pearl of great price. 

Matt. 16. 3. The signs of the times. 

Matt. 20. 16. The last shall be first, and the first last. 

Luke 14. 23. The highways and hedges. 

John 1. 46. Can there any good thing come out of 

Nazareth ? 
Acts 16. 9. Come over into Macedonia, and help us. 
Rom. 13. 1. Powers that be. 

1 Cor. 9. 22. All things to all men. 

2 Cor. 12. 7. A thorn in the flesh. 

2 Tim. 4. 7. I have fought a good fight. 



Gen. 1. 1. In the beginning God created the heaven and 

the earth. 
Gen. 1. 3. Let there be light. 
Gen. 1. 26. Let us make man in our image. 
Gen. 1. 27. Male and female created he them. 
Gen. 1. 31. And God saw everything that he had made, 

and, behold, it was very good. 
Gen. 2. 17. In the day that thou eatest thereof thou 

shalt surely die. 
Gen. 2. 23. Bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh. 
Gen. 2. 24. Therefore shall a man leave his father and 

his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife. 
Gen. 3. 4. Ye shall not surely die. 
Gen. 3. 19. Dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou 

return. 
Gen. 4. 10. The voice of thy brother's blood crieth unto 

me from the ground. 
Gen. 5. 22. Enoch walked with God. 
Gen. 6. 2. The sons of God saw the daughters of men 

that they were fair. 
Gen. 7. 11. The fountains of the great deep [were] 

broken up. 
Gen. 8. 22. While the earth remaineth, seedtime and 

harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and win- 
ter, and day and night shall not cease. 



20 THE ENGLISH BIBLE 

Gen. 9. 6. Whoso sheddeth man's blood, by man shall 
his blood be shed. 

Gen. 13. 10. Even as the garden of the Lord. 

Gen. 14. 23. From a thread even to a shoelatchet. 

Gen. 15. 12. An horror of great darkness. 

Gen. 15. 15. A good old age. 

Gen. 16. 12. His hand will be against every man, and 
every man's hand against him. 

Gen. 16. 13. Thou God seest me. 

Gen. 18. 23. Wilt thou . . . destroy the righteous 
with the wicked? 

Gen. 18. 27. I . . . am but dust and ashes. 

Gen. 19. 14. He seemed as one that mocked. 

Gen. 20. 11. The fear of God is not in this place. 

Gen. 23. 15. What is that betwixt me and thee? 

Gen. 26. 34-35. . . . Esau . . . took to wife 
Judith . . . and Bashemath, ... which 
were a grief of mind unto Isaac and to Rebekah. 

Gen. 28. 12. Behold a ladder set up on the earth, and 
the top of it reached to heaven. 

Gen. 29. 14. Thou art my bone and my flesh. 

Gen. 29. 20. They seemed unto him but a few days, for 
the love he had to her. 

Gen. 32. 10. With my staff I passed over this Jordan ; 
and now I am become two bands. 

Gen. 32. 28. As a prince hast thou power with God and 
with men, and hast prevailed. 

Gen. 37. 3. The son of his old age. 

Gen. 37. 19. Behold, this dreamer cometh. 

Gen. 39. 9. How . . . can I do this great wicked- 
ness? 

Gen. 42. 38. Bring down my gray hairs with sorrow to 
the grave. 

Gen. 43. 14. If I be bereaved of my children, I am be- 
reaved. 

Gen. 49. 4. Unstable as water. 

Gen. 49. 10. The scepter shall not depart from Judah. 



SPECIAL PASSAGES 21 

Exod. 1. 10. Let us deal wisely with them. 

Exod. 1. 12. The more they afflicted them, the more 
they multiplied. 

Exod. 2. 14. Who made thee ... a judge over us? 

Exod. 2. 14. Surely this thing is known. 

Exod. 3. 5. Put off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the 
place whereon thou standest is holy ground. 

Exod. 8. 19. This is the finger of God. 

Exod. 10. 21. Darkness which may be felt. 

Exod. 13. 21. By day in a pillar of cloud . . . and 
by night in a pillar of fire. 

Exod. 14. 11. There were no graves in Egypt. 

Exod. 16. 3. When we sat by the flesh pots [of Egypt]. 

Exod. 20. 9. Six days shalt thou labor, and do all thy 
work. 

Exod. 20. 12. Honor thy father and thy mother. 

Exod. 20. 13. Thou shalt not kill. 

Exod. 22. 28. Thou shalt not . . . curse the ruler 
of thy people. 

Lev. 10. 1. Nadab and Abihu . . . offered strange 
fire before the Lord. 

Lev. 25. 10. Proclaim liberty throughout all the land 
unto all the inhabitants thereof. (On Liberty Bell, 
Philadelphia.) 

Lev. 26. 8. Five of you shall chase an hundred. 

Num. 6. 24, 25, 26. The Lord bless thee, and keep thee ; 
the Lord make his face shine upon thee, and be 
gracious unto thee; the Lord lift up his coun- 
tenance upon thee, and give thee peace. 

Num. 11. 4. Who shall give us flesh to eat? 

Num. 11. 23. Is the Lord's hand waxed short? 

Num. 13. 33. We were in our own sight as grasshop- 
pers. 

Num. 16. 7. Ye take too much upon you. 

Num. 16. 48. He stood between the dead and the living. 

Num. 20. 17. The king's highway. 

Num. 23. 23. What hath God wrought! 



22 THE ENGLISH BIBLE 

Num. 24. 17. There shall come a star out of Jacob. 
Num. 27. 17. As sheep which have no shepherd. 
Num. 34. 5. Fetch a compass. 
Deut. 2. 27. Neither turn unto the right hand nor to 

the left. 
Deut. 6. 5. Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all 

thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy 

might. 
Deut. 12. 23. The blood is the life. 
Deut. 13. 6. The wife of thy bosom. 
Deut. 22. 5. The woman shall not wear that which per- 

taineth unto a man, neither shall a man put on a 

woman's garments. 
Deut. 22. 10. Thou shalt not plow with an ox and an 

ass together. 
Deut. 24. 14. Thou shalt not oppress an hired servant. 
Deut. 25. 4. Thou shalt not muzzle the ox when he 

treadeth out the corn. 
Deut. 27. 17. Cursed be he that removeth his neigh- 
bor's landmark. 
Deut. 28. 5. Blessed shall be thy basket and thy store. 
Deut. 28. 23. Thy heaven . . . shall be brass. 
Deut. 28. 67. In the morning thou shalt say, Would 

God it were even! 
Deut. 30. 15. I have set before thee . . . life . . . and 

death. 
Deut. 34. 7. His eye was not dim, nor his natural force 

abated. 
Josh. 1. 6. Be strong and of a good courage. 
Josh. 4. 6. What mean ye by these stones? 
Josh. 5. 6. A land that floweth with milk and honey. 
Josh. 5. 15. Loose thy shoe from off thy foot; for the 

place whereon thou standest is holy. 
Josh. 7. 15. He hath wrought folly in Israel. 
Josh. 7. 21. A goodly Babylonish garment. 
Josh. 23. 14. I am going the way of all the earth. 
Josh. 24. 15. Choose you this day whom ye will serve. 



SPECIAL PASSAGES 23 

Judg. 2. 10. Gathered unto their fathers. 

Judg. 7. 18. The sword of the Lord and of Gideon. 

Judg. 8. 18. Each one resembled the children of a 

king. 
Judg. 12. 6. Say now Shibboleth: and he said Sibbo- 

leth. 
Judg. 15. 8. He smote them hip and thigh. 
Judg. 16. 9. The Philistines be upon thee. 
Judg. 16. 20. He wist not that the Lord was departed 

from him. 
Judg. 17. 6. Every man did that which was right in 

his own eyes. 
Ruth 1. 17. If aught but death part thee and me. 
Ruth 2. 19. Where hast thou gleaned to-day ? 
1 Sam. 3. 1. There was no open vision. 
1 Sam. 3. 18. Let him do what seemeth him good. 
1 Sam. 4. 21. The glory is departed from Israel. 
1 Sam. 5. 6. The hand of the Lord was heavy upon 

them. 
1 Sam. 7. 12. Hitherto hath the Lord helped us. 
1 Sam. 10. 6. Thou . . . shalt be turned into another 

man. 
1 Sam. 10. 22. He hath hid himself among the stuff. 
1 Sam. 10. 27. Children of Belial. 
1 Sam. 11. 13. The Lord hath wrought salvation in 

Israel. 
1 Sam. 12. 17. Is it not wheat harvest to-day ? 
1 Sam. 14. 41. Give a perfect lot. 
1 Sam. 15. 17. When thou wast little in thine own 

sight. 
1 Sam. 15. 22. To obey is better than sacrifice. 
1 Sam. 15. 23. Rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft. 
1 Sam. 15. 32. The bitterness of death is past. 
1 Sam. 16. 14. An evil spirit from the Lord troubled 

him. 
1 Sam. 17. 7. The staff of his spear was like a weaver's 

beam. 



24 THE ENGLISH BIBLE 

1 Sam. 17. 10. Give me a man, that we may fight to- 
gether. 

1 Sam. 17. 43. Am I a dog? 

1 Sam. 18. 1. The soul of Jonathan was knit with the 
soul of David. 

1 Sam. 18. 3. He loved him as his own soul. 

1 Sam. 18. 7. Saul hath slain his thousands, and David 
his ten thousands. 

1 Sam. 18. 8. What can he have more but the king- 
dom? 

1 Sam. 18. 18. Who am I . . . that I should be son-in- 
law to the king? 

1 Sam. 20. 18. Thou shalt be missed because thy seat 
will be empty. 

1 Sam. 21. 3. What is under thine hand? 

1 Sam. 21. 8. The king's business required haste. 

1 Sam. 28. 15. Why hast thou disquieted me? 

2 Sam. 1. 16. Thy blood be upon thy head. 

2 Sam. 1. 23. In . . . death they were not divided. 

2 Sam. 2. 19. Turned not to the right hand nor to the 
left. 

2 Sam. 2. 30. Nineteen men and Asahel. 

2 Sam. 3. 10. From Dan to Beer-sheba. 

2 Sam. 3. 33. Died Abner as a fool dieth? 

2 Sam. 3. 38. A prince and a great man [is] fallen 
this day. 

2 Sam. 10. 5. Until your beards be grown. 

2 Sam. 12. 3. One little ewe lamb. 

2 Sam. 12. 23. I shall go to him, but he shall not re- 
turn to me. 

2 Sam. 14. 14. As water is spilt on the ground. 

2 Sam. 15. 21. Whether in death or life, even there also 
will thy servant be. 

2 Sam. 17. 10. Whose heart is as the heart of a lion. 

2 Sam. 19. 12. Ye are my bones and my flesh. 

2 Sam. 20. 1. Every man to his tents. 

2 Sam. 22. 11. The wings of the wind. 



SPECIAL PASSAGES 25 

2 Sam. 22. 26. With the merciful thou wilt show thy- 
self merciful. 
1 Kings 2. 2. I go the way of all the earth. 
1 Kings 2. 10. David slept with his fathers. 
1 Kings 3. 7. I am but a little child. 
1 Kings 6. 7. There was neither hammer nor axe nor 

any tool of iron heard in the house, while it was 

in building. 
1 Kings 10. 7. The half was not told me. 
1 Kings 12. 8. He forsook the counsel of the old men. 
1 Kings 12. 10. My little finger shall be thicker than 

my father's loins. 
1 Kings 13. 30. Alas, my brother ! 
1 Kings 18. 21. How long halt ye between two 

opinions ? 
1 Kings 18. 44. A . . . cloud out of the sea, like a 

man's hand. 
1 Kings 19. 12. A still small voice. 
1 Kings 20. 11. Let not him that girdeth on his harness 

boast himself as he that putteth it off. 

1 Kings 22. 34. Drew a bow at a venture. 

2 Kings 1. 9. The king hath said, Come down. 
2 Kings 2. 10. Thou hast asked a hard thing. 

2 Kings 4. 13. I dwell among mine own people. 

2 Kings 4. 40. There is death in the pot. 

2 Kings 5. 18. I bow myself in the house of Eimmon. 

2 Kings 6. 5. Alas, ... it was borrowed. 

2 Kings 6. 17. Open his eyes, that he may see. 

2 Kings 6. 17. The mountain was full of horses and 
chariots. 

2 Kings 6. 32. Is not the sound of his master's feet be- 
hind him? 

2 Kings 8. 13. Is thy servant a dog? 

2 Kings 9. 20. Like the driving of Jehu. 

2 Kings 9. 31. Had Zimri peace, who slew his master? 

2 Kings 13. 14. The chariot of Israel, and the horse- 
men thereof. 



26 THE ENGLISH BIBLE 

2 Kings 14. 8. Let us look one another in the face, 

2 Kings 21. 16. Shed innocent blood. 

2 Kings 23. 18. Let no man move his bones. 

1 Chron. 12. 33. They were not of double heart. 

1 Chron. 16. 22. Touch not mine anointed. 

1 Chron. 16. 29. Worship the Lord in the beauty of 

holiness. 
1 Chron. 20. 5. Whose spear staff was like a weaver's 

beam. 

1 Chron. 29. 15. We are . . . sojourners as were all 

our fathers. 

2 Chron. 10. 16. What portion have we in David? 

2 Chron. 18. 3. I am as thou art, and my people as thy 

people. 
2 Chron. 30. 5. From Beer-sheba even to Dan. 
2 Chron. 30. 8. Be ye not stiff-necked. 
Ezra 2. 69. They gave after their ability. 
Ezra 9. 7. Confusion of face. 
Neh. 2. 19. They laughed us to scorn. 
Neh. 4. 3. If a fox go up, he shall even break down 

their stone wall. 
Esth. 1. 8. The drinking was according to the law. 
Esth. 1. 13. The wise men, which knew the times. 
Esth. 1. 22. Every man should bear rule in his own 

house. 
Esth. 4. 16. If I perish, I perish. 
Esth. 5. 13. All this availeth me nothing. 
Esth. 6. 6. What shall be done unto the man whom the 

king delighteth to honor? 
Esth. 7. 10. They hanged Haman on the gallows that 

he had prepared for Mordecai. 
Job 1. 21. The Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken 

away; blessed be the name of the Lord. 
Job 2. 2. Going to and fro in the earth. 
Job 2. 9. Curse God, and die. 
Job 2. 10. Shall we receive good at the hand of God, 

and shall we not receive evil? 



SPECIAL PASSAGES 27 

Job 3. 17. There the wicked cease from troubling ; and 

there the weary be at rest. 
Job. 4. 7. Who ever perished, being innocent? 
Job 4. 17. Shall mortal man be more just than God? 
Job 5. 7. Man is born unto trouble, as the sparks fly 

upward. 
Job 5. 13. He taketh the wise in their own craftiness. 
Job 6. 6. Can that which is unsavory be eaten with- 
out salt? 
Job 7. 6. Swifter than a weaver's shuttle. 
Job 7. 17. What is man, that thou shouldest magnify 

him? 
Job 8. 9. Our days upon earth are a shadow. 
Job 9. 33. Neither is there any daysman betwixt us, 

that might lay his hand upon us both. 
Job 10. 1. My soul is weary of my life. 
Job 12. 2. No doubt but ye are the people, and wisdom 

shall die with you. 
Job 12. 21. He poureth contempt upon princes. 
Job 13. 15. Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him. 
Job 14. 1. Man that is born of a woman is of few days, 

and full of trouble. 
Job 14. 2. He cometh forth like a flower, and is cut 

down. 
Job 14. 10. Man giveth up the ghost, and where is he? 
Job 14. 14. If a man die, shall he live again ? 
Job 15. 2. Should a wise man ... fill his belly with 

the east wind? 
Job 15. 7. Art thou the first man that was born? 
Job 15. 11. Are the consolations of God small with 

thee? 
Job 16. 2. Miserable comforters are ye all. 
Job 18. 5. The light of the wicked shall be put out. 
Job 18. 14. The king of terrors. 
Job 19. 23. Oh that my words . . . were printed in 

a book! 
Job 19. 25. I know that my redeemer liveth. 



28 THE ENGLISH BIBLE 

Job 21. 33. The clods of the valley shall be sweet unto 

him. 
Job 22. 24. Then shalt thou lay up gold as dust. 
Job 23. 3. Oh that I knew where I might find him! 
Job 24. 18. Swift as the waters. 
Job 28. 7. There is a path which no fowl knoweth. 
Job 28. 12. Where shall wisdom be found? 
Job 28. 28. The fear of the Lord, that is wisdom. 
Job 30. 1. They that are younger than I have me in 

derision. 
Job 31. 40. Let thistles grow instead of wheat, and 

cockle instead of barley. 
Job 32. 9. Great men are not always wise. 
Job 34. 19. That accepteth not the persons of princes. 
Job 38. 4. Where wast thou when I laid the founda- 
tions of the earth? 
Job 38. 7. The morning stars sang together. 
Job 38. 7, All the sons of God shouted for joy. 
Job 38. 11. Here shall thy proud waves be stayed. 
Job 38. 31. Canst thou bind the sweet influences of 

Pleiades or loose the bands of Orion? 
Job 39. 25. He smelleth the battle afar off. 
Job 41. 15. His scales are his pride. 
Psa. 1. 3. He shall be like a tree planted by the rivers 

of water. 
Psa. 1. 4. Like the chaff which the wind driveth away. 
Psa. 2. 1. Why do the heathen rage? 
Psa. 2. 4. He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh. 
Psa. 2. 9. Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron. 
Psa. 4. 6. Who will show us any good? 
Psa. 4. 8. I will both lay me down in peace, and sleep. 
Psa. 7. 15. He is fallen into the ditch which he made. 
Psa. 8. 2. Out of the mouth of babes. 
Psa. 8. 4. What is man, that thou art mindful of him? 
Psa. 11. 1. Flee as a bird to your mountain. 
Psa. 14. 1. The fool hath said in his heart, There is 

no God. 



SPECIAL PASSAGES 29 

Psa. 15. 3. Taketh up a reproach against his neigh- 
bor. 

Psa. 16. 6. The lines are fallen unto me in pleasant 
places. 

Psa. 19. 1. The heavens declare the glory of God. 

Psa. 19. 2. Day unto day uttereth speech. 

Psa. 19. 7. The law of the Lord is perfect. 

Psa. 22. 6. I am a worm, and no man. 

Psa. 22. 14. I am poured out like water. 

Psa. 24. 1. The earth is the Lord's, and the fullness 
thereof. 

Psa. 24. 4. He that hath clean hands. 

Psa. 26. 6. I will wash mine hands in innocency. 

Psa. 30. 5. Weeping may endure for a night, but joy 
cometh in the morning. 

Psa. 31. 12. Forgotten as a dead man out of mind. 

Psa. 31. 15. My times are in thy hand. 

Psa. 31. 20. The strife of tongues. 

Psa. 32. 9. Be ye not as the horse, or as the mule, 
which have no understanding. 

Psa. 33. 9. He spake, and it was done. 

Psa. 33. 16. There is no king saved by the multitude 
of an host. 

Psa. 33. 17. An horse is a vain thing for safety. 

Psa. 37. 1. Fret not thyself because of evildoers. 

Psa. 37. 11. The meek shall inherit the earth. 

Psa. 37. 16. A little that a righteous man hath is bet- 
ter than the riches of many wicked. 

Psa. 37. 21. The wicked borroweth, and payeth not 
again. 

Psa. 37. 25. I have been young, and now am old ; yet 
have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed 
begging bread. 

Psa. 37. 37. Mark the perfect man. 

Psa. 39. 3. While I was musing the fire burned. 

Psa. 39. 6. He heapeth up riches, and knoweth not who 
shall gather them. 



30 THE ENGLISH BIBLE 

Psa. 41. 9. Mine own familiar friend, . . . hath lifted 

up his heel against me. 
Psa. 42. 3. My tears have been my meat. 
Psa. 44. 22. We are counted as sheep for the slaughter. 
Psa. 48. 2. Beautiful for situation ... is Mount Zion. 
Psa. 50. 10. The cattle upon a thousand hills. 
Psa. 55. 6. Oh that I had wings like a dove! 
Psa. 68. 6. God setteth the solitary in families. 
Psa. 72. 6. He shall come down like rain upon the 

mown grass. 
Psa. 73. 4. There are no bands in their death. 
Psa. 73. 20. As a dream when one awaketh. 
Psa. 75. 6. Promotion cometh neither from the east, 

nor from the west, nor from the south. 
Psa. 76. 10. The wrath of man shall praise thee. 
Psa. 77. 5. I have considered the days of old. 
Psa. 78. 25. Man did eat angels' food. 
Psa. 84. 7. From strength to strength. 
Psa. 85. 11. Truth shall spring out of the earth. 
Psa. 86. 17. Show me a token for good. 
Psa. 87. 5. Of Zion it shall be said, This . . . man was 

born in her. 
Psa. 89. 48. What man is he that liveth, and shall not 

see death? 
Psa. 90. 2. Before the mountains were brought forth. 
Psa. 90. 4. A thousand years in thy sight are but as 

yesterday when it is past. 
Psa. 90. 5. They are as a sleep. 
Psa. 90. 6. In the morning it flourisheth, and groweth 

up; in the evening it is cut down, and withereth. 
Psa. 90. 9. We spend our years as a tale that is told. 
Psa. 91. 12. They shall bear thee up in their hands, 

lest thou dash thy foot against a stone. 
Psa. 93. 4. The noise of many waters. 
Psa. 94. 9. He that planted the ear, shall he not hear? 
Psa. 97. 2. Clouds and darkness are round about him. 
Psa. 98. 7. Let the sea roar, and the fullness thereof. 



SPECIAL PASSAGES 31 

Psa. 98. 8. Let the floods clap their hands. 

Psa. 102. 6. I am like an owl of the desert. 

Psa. 102. 9. I have eaten ashes like bread. 

Psa. 102. 26. All of them shall wax old like a garment. 

Psa. 103. 15. As for man, his days are as grass. 

Psa. 103. 16. The wind passeth over it, and it is gone ; 
and the place thereof shall know it no more. 

Psa. 104. 2. Who stretchest out the heavens like a cur- 
tain. 

Psa. 104. 4. Who maketh his angels spirits. 

Psa. 104.. 19. He appointed the moon for seasons. 

Psa. 104. 23. Man goeth forth unto . . . his labor 
until the evening. 

Psa. 104. 27. That thou may est give them their meat 
in due season. 

Psa. 107. 23. They that go down to the sea in ships. 

Psa. 107. 27. They reel to and fro, and stagger like a 
drunken man. 

Psa. 107. 27. At their wit's end. 

Psa. 109. 23. Like the shadow when it declineth. 

Psa. 111. 10. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of 
wisdom. 

Psa. 115. 5. Eyes have they, but they see not. 

Psa. 116. 11. I said in my haste, All men are liars. 

Psa. 118. 22. The stone which the builders refused is 
become the head stone of the corner. 

Psa. 119. 70. Their heart is as fat as grease. 

Psa. 119. 99. I have more understanding than all my 
teachers. 

Psa. 120. 7. I am for peace : but when I speak, they are 
for war. 

Psa. 121. 4. He that keepeth Israel shall neither slum- 
ber nor sleep. 

Psa. 122. 3. Jerusalem is builded as a city that is 
compact together. 

Psa. 125. 2. As the mountains are round about Jeru- 
salem. 



32 THE ENGLISH BIBLE 

Psa. 126. 5. They that sow in tears shall reap in joy. 
Psa. 133. 1. Behold, how good and how pleasant it is 

for brethren to dwell together in unity ! 
Psa. 137. 2. We hanged our harps upon the willows. 
Psa. 137. 4. How shall we sing the Lord's song in a 

strange land? 
Psa. 139. 9. If I take the wings of the morning. 
Psa. 139. 14. I am fearfully and wonderfully made. 
Psa. 143. 5. I remember the days of old. 
Psa. 144. 15. Happy is that people that is in such a 

case. 
Psa. 147. 4. He telleth the number of the stars. 
Psa. 150. 6. Let everything that hath breath praise 

the Lord. 
Prov. 1. 7. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of 

knowledge. 
Prov. 1. 10. If sinners entice thee, consent thou not. 
Prov. 1. 14. Let us all have one purse. 
Prov. 1. 17. In vain the net is spread in the sight of 

any bird. 
Prov. 3. 3. Write them upon the table of thine heart. 
Prov. 3. 5. Lean not unto thine own understanding. 
Prov. 3. 7. Be not wise in thine own eyes. 
Prov. 3. 17. Her ways are ways of pleasantness, and 

all her paths are peace. 
Prov. 3. 35. Shame shall be the promotion of fools. 
Prov. 4. 7. Wisdom is the principal thing. 
Prov. 4. 18. The path of the just is as the shining light. 
Prov. 4. 23. Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out 

of it are the issues of life. 
Prov. 5. 5. Her steps take hold on hell. 
Prov. 6. 27. Can a man take fire in his bosom, and his 

clothes not be burned? 
Prov. 8. 11. Wisdom is better than rubies. 
Prov. 9. 10. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of 

wisdom. 
Prov. 9. 17. Stolen waters are sweet. 



SPECIAL PASSAGES 33 

Prov. 10. 1. A wise son maketh a glad father. 

Prov. 10. 4. He becometh poor that dealeth with a 

slack hand. 
Prov. 11. 1. A false balance is abomination to the Lord. 
Prov. 11. 13. A talebearer revealeth secrets. 
Prov. 11. 22. As a jewel of gold in a swine's snout, so 

is a fair woman which is without discretion. 
Prov. 11. 24. There is that scattereth, and yet increas- 

eth. 
Prov. 12. 10. A righteous man regardeth the life of 

his beast. 
Prov. 13. 12. Hope deferred maketh the heart sick. 
Prov. 14. 10. The heart knoweth his own bitterness. 
Prov. 14. 31. He that oppresseth the poor reproacheth 

his Maker. 
Prov. 14. 34. Eighteousness exalteth a nation. 
Prov. 15. 1. A soft answer turneth away wrath. 
Prov. 15. 3. The eyes of the Lord are in every place. 
Prov. 15. 13. A merry heart maketh a cheerful coun- 
tenance. 
Prov. 15. 17. Better is a dinner of herbs where love is, 

than a stalled ox and hatred therewith. 
Prov. 16. 18. Pride goeth before destruction. 
Prov. 16. 28. A whisperer separateth chief friends. 
Prov. 16. 31. The hoary head is a crown of glory. 
Prov. 16. 33. The lot is cast into the lap. 
Prov. 17. 28. Even a fool, when he holdeth his peace, 

is counted wise. 
Prov. 18. 22. Whoso findeth a wife flndeth a good 

thing. 
Prov. 20. 1. Wine is a mocker. 

Prov. 20. 29. The beauty of old men is the gray head. 
Prov. 21. 9. It is better to dwell in a corner of the 

housetop, than with a brawling woman in a wide 

house. 
Prov. 22. 1. A good name is rather to be chosen than 

great riches. 



34 THE ENGLISH BIBLE 

Prov. 22. 2. The rich and poor meet together ; the Lord 

is the maker of them all. 
Prov. 22. 6. Train up a child in the way he should go : 

and when he is old, he will not depart from it. 
Prov. 22. 13. There is a lion without. 
Prov. 23. 7. As he thinketh in his heart so is he. 
Prov. 23. 34. As he that lieth upon the top of a mast. 
Prov. 24. 33. A little sleep, a little slumber, a little 

folding of the hands to sleep. 
Prov. 25. 11. Apples of gold in pictures of silver. 
Prov. 25. 19. Confidence in an unfaithful man in time 

of trouble is like a broken tooth, and a foot out of 

joint. 
Prov. 25. 22. Thou shalt heap coals of fire upon his 

head. 
Prov. 26. 4. Answer not a fool according to his folly. 
Prov. 26. 12. Seest thou a man wise in his own con- 
ceit? there is more hope of a fool than of him. 
Prov. 26. 13. There is a lion in the way. 
Prov. 26. 16. Wiser in his own conceit than seven men 

that can render a reason. 
Prov. 26. 17. Like one that taketh a dog by the ears. 
Prov. 26. 27. Whoso diggeth a pit shall fall therein. 
Prov. 27. 2. Let another man praise thee. 
Prov. 27. 5. Open rebuke is better than secret love. 
Prov. 27. 6. Faithful are the wounds of a friend. 
Prov. 27. 12. A prudent man foreseeth the evil, and 

hideth himself. 
Prov. 27. 17. Iron sharpeneth iron. 
Prov. 27. 22. Bray a fool in a mortar. 
Prov. 29. 5. A man that flattereth his neighbor spread- 

eth a net for his feet. 
Prov. 29. 18. Where there is no vision, the people 

perish. 
Prov. 30. 8. Give me neither poverty nor riches. 
Prov. 30. 28. The spider taketh hold with her hands, 

and is in kings' palaces. 



SPECIAL PASSAGES 35 

Prov. 31. 10. Who can find a virtuous woman? 

Prov. 31. 28. Her children arise up, and call her 
blessed. 

Eccl. 1. 2. Vanity of vanities; ... all is vanity. 

Eccl. 1. 15. That which is crooked cannot be made 
straight. 

Eccl. 2. 16. How dieth the wise man ? as the fool. 

Eccl. 2. 24. There is nothing better for a man, than 
that he should eat and drink, and . . . make his 
soul enjoy good in his labor. 

Eccl. 3. 1. There is ... a time to every purpose under 
the heaven. 

Eccl. 3. 11. He hath made everything beautiful in his 
time. 

Eccl. 3. 19. For that which befalleth the sons of men 
befalleth beasts 

Eccl. 4. 9. Two are better than one. 

Eccl. 4. 13. Better is a poor and a wise child than an 
old and foolish king. 

Eccl. 7. 6. The crackling of thorns under a pot. 

Eccl. 8. 8. There is no discharge in that war. 

Eccl. 8. 11. Because sentence against an evil work is 
not executed speedily, therefore the heart of the 
sons of men is fully set in them to do evil. 

Eccl. 9. 10. There is no work, nor device, nor knowl- 
edge, nor wisdom in the grave, whither thou goest. 

Eccl. 10. 1. Dead flies cause the ointment of the apothe- 
cary to send forth a stinking savor. 

Eccl. 10. 16. Woe to thee, O land, when thy king is a 
child. 

Eccl. 11. 4. He that observeth the wind shall not sow. 

Eccl. 12. 3. Those that look out of the window [shall] 
be darkened. 

Eccl. 12. 5. They shall be afraid of that which is high. 

Eccl. 12. 6. Or ever the silver cord be loosed, or the 
golden bowl be broken, or the pitcher be broken at 
the fountain, or the wheel broken at the cistern. 



36 THE ENGLISH BIBLE 

Eccl. 12. 12. Of making many books there is no end. 

Songs 1. 5. I am black, but comely. 

Songs 1. 5. The tents of Kedar. 

Songs 2. 5. I am sick of love. 

Songs 2. 12. The time of the singing of birds is come. 

Songs 2. 12. The voice of the turtle is heard in our 

land. 
Songs 8. 6. Cruel as the grave. 
Songs 8. 7. Many waters cannot quench love. 
Isa. 1. 3. The ox knoweth his owner, and the ass his 

master's crib. 
Isa. 1. 8. A lodge in a garden of cucumbers. 
Isa. 1. 18. Let us reason together. 
Isa. 2. 22. Man, whose breath is in his nostrils. 
Isa. 3. 15. Grind the faces of the poor. 
Isa. 4. 1. Seven women shall take hold of one man. 
Isa. 5. 8. Woe unto them that join house to house, that 

lay field to field ! 
Isa. 5. 20. Woe unto them that call evil good. 
Isa. 5. 23. Justify the wicked for reward. 
Isa. 8. 14. A stone of stumbling and ... a rock of 

offense. 
Isa. 8. 19. Wizards that peep, and that mutter. 
Isa. 9. 15. The ancient and honorable. 
Isa. 10. 2. Bob the fatherless. 

Isa. 21. 12. The watchman said, The morning cometh. 
Isa. 22. 1. The valley of vision. 
Isa. 23. 8. Whose merchants are princes. 
Isa. 25. 6. A feast of . . . fat things. 
Isa. 26. 5. The lofty city, he layeth it low. 
Isa. 28. 13. Precept upon precept, . . . line upon line. 
Isa. 30. 20. The bread of adversity. 
Isa. 31. 3. The Egyptians are men, and not God. 
Isa. 32. 2. The shadow of a great rock in a weary 

land. 
Isa. 32. 20. Sow beside all waters. 
Isa. 34. 5. My sword shall be bathed in heaven. 



SPECIAL PASSAGES 37 

Isa. 35. 1. The wilderness and the solitary place shall 
be glad. 

Isa. 35. 1. The desert shall . . . blossom as the rose. 

Isa. 35. 3. Strengthen . . . the weak hands. 

Isa. 35. 5. The eyes of the blind shall be opened. 

Isa. 36. 16. Eat . . . every one of his vine, and . . . 
his fig tree. 

Isa. 37. 3. This is a day of trouble. 

Isa. 38. 15. I shall go softly all my years. 

Isa. 38. 18. The grave cannot praise thee. 

Isa. 39. 4. What have they seen in thine house? 

Isa. 40. 3. The voice of him that crieth in the wilder- 
ness. 

Isa. 40. 4. The crooked shall be made straight. 

Isa. 40. 6. All flesh is grass. 

Isa. 40. 12. Who hath measured the waters in the hol- 
low of his hand? 

Isa. 40. 31. Mount up with wings as eagles. 

Isa. 42. 3. A bruised reed shall he not break. 

Isa. 44. 13. According to the beauty of a man. 

Isa. 45. 9. Shall the clay say to him that fashioneth it, 
What makest thou? 

Isa. 48. 4. Thy neck is an iron sinew. 

Isa. 49. 15. Can a woman forget her . . . child? 

Isa. 50. 4. The tongue of the learned. 

Isa. 50. 9. They all shall wax old as a garment. 

Isa. 51. 11. Sorrow and mourning shall flee away. 

Isa. 52. 7. How beautiful upon the mountains are the 
feet of him that bringeth good tidings ! 

Isa. 53. 2. He hath no form nor comeliness. 

Isa. 53. 3. A man of sorrows. 

Isa. 53. 6. All we like sheep have gone astray. 

Isa. 55. 2. Wherefore do ye spend money for that which 
is not bread? 

Isa. 55. 11. It shall not return unto me void. 

Isa. 55. 13. Instead of the thorn shall come up the fir 
tree. 



38 



THE ENGLISH BIBLE 



Isa. 60. 22. A little one shall become a thousand. 

Isa. 61. 3. Beauty for ashes. 

Isa. 64. 6. We all do fade as a leaf. 

Isa. 64. 8. We are the clay, and thou our potter. 

Isa. 65. 5. I am holier than thou. 

Isa. 65. 25. The wolf and the lamb shall feed together. 

Isa. 66. 13. As one whom his mother comforteth. 

Jer. 2. 36. Why gaddest thou about so much? 

Jer. 6. 14. Peace, peace; when there is no peace. 

Jer. 8. 22. Is there no balm in Gilead ? 

Jer. 9. 1. Oh that my head were waters, and mine eyes 

a fountain of tears ! 
Jer. 17. 1. Written with a pen of iron, and with the 

point of a diamond. 
Jer. 20. 14. Cursed be the day wherein I was born. 
Jer. 31. 15. Bachel weeping for her children refused to 

be comforted, because they were not. 
Lam. 1. 1. How doth the city sit solitary, that was full 

of people ! 
Ezek. 1. 24. Like the noise of great waters. 
Ezek. 12. 22. The days are prolonged, and every vision 

faileth. 
Ezek. 16. 44. As is the mother, so is her daughter. 
Dan. 2. 34. A stone was cut out without hands. 
Dan. 3. 25. The form ... is like the son of God. 
Dan. 5. 27. Weighed in the balances and art found 

wanting. 
Dan. 7. 13. Ancient of days. 
Dan. 9. 8. To us . . . confusion of face. 
Dan. 12. 3. They that be wise shall shine as the bright- 
ness of the firmament. 
Hos. 4. 9. Like people, like priest. 
Hos. 4. 17. Ephraim is joined to idols : let him alone. 
Hos. 5. 10. I will pour out my wrath . . . like water. 
Hos. 6. 10. I have seen an horrible thing in the house 

of Israel. 
Hos. 10. 1. Israel is an empty vine. 



SPECIAL PASSAGES 39 

Hos. 10. 8. They shall say to the mountains, Cover us ; 

and to the hills, Fall on us. 
Hos. 10. 12. Break up your fallow ground. 
Hos. 11. 4. I drew them with cords of a man. 
Hos. 12. 1. Ephraim feedeth on wind. 
Hos. 13. 2. Let the men that sacrifice kiss the calves. 
Hos. 13. 3. As the chaff that is driven with the whirl- 
wind. 
Joel 1. 4. That which the palmerworm hath left hath 

the locust eaten; and that which the locust hath 

left hath the cankerworm eaten; and that which 

the cankerworm hath left hath the caterpillar 

eaten. 
Joel 1. 8. Like a virgin girded with sackcloth for the 

husband of her youth. 
Joel 2. 13. Eend your heart, and not your garments. 
Joel 2. 28. Your young men shall see visions. 
Joel 3. 10. Beat your plowshares into swords, and your 

pruninghooks into spears. 
Joel 3. 14. Multitudes in the valley of decision. 
Amos 3. 3. Can two walk together, except they be 

agreed ? 
Amos 7. 14. I was no prophet, neither was I a prophet's 

son. 
Jonah 2. 3. All thy billows and thy waves passed over 

me. 
Hab. 2. 20. The Lord is in his holy temple : let all the 

earth keep silence before him. 
Zech. 1. 5. Your fathers, where are they? 
Zech. 3. 2. A brand plucked out of the fire. 
Zech. 4. 6. Not by might nor by power, but by my 

spirit, saith the Lord of hosts. 
Zech. 9. 12. Prisoners of hope. 
Zech. 13. 6. I was wounded in the house of my 

friends. 
Mai. 1. 6. If I be master, where is my fear? 
Mai. 2. 10. Have we not all one father? 



40 THE ENGLISH BIBLE 

Mai. 3. 2. He is like a refiner's fire, and like fullers' 

soap. 
Mai. 3. 8. Will a man rob God? 

Matt. 5. 38. An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth. 
Matt. 6. 25. Is not the life more than meat, and the 

body than raiment? 
Matt. 6. 27. Which of you by taking thought can add 

one cubit unto his stature? 
Matt. 6. 34. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof. 
Matt. 7. 3. The mote that is in thy brother's eye. 
Matt. 7. 6. Pearls before swine. 
Matt. 7. 16. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of 

thistles? 
Matt. 8. 22. Let the dead bury their dead. 
Matt. 9. 12. They that be whole need not a physician, 

but they that are sick. 
Matt. 9. 17. Neither do men put new wine into old 

bottles. 
Matt. 9. 24. They laughed him to scorn. 
Matt. 10. 31. Ye are of more value than many spar- 
rows. 
Matt. 11. 19. Wisdom is justified of her children. 
Matt. 13. 46. Pearl of great price. 
Matt. 15. 14. If the blind lead the blind, both shall fall 

into the ditch. 
Matt. 16. 3. The signs of the times. 
Matt. 19. 6. What therefore God hath joined together, 

let not man put asunder. 
Matt. 19. 24. It is easier for a camel to go through the 

eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into 

the kingdom of God. 
Matt. 20. 12. The burden and heat of the day. 
Matt. 20. 16. Many be called, but few chosen. 
Matt. 23. 24. Strain at a gnat, and swallow a camel. 
Matt. 24. 6. Wars and rumors of wars. 
Matt. 24. 6. The end is not yet. 
Matt. 26. 8. To what purpose is this waste? 



SPECIAL PASSAGES 41 

Mark 1. 7. The latchet of whose shoes I am not worthy 

to stoop down and unloose. 
Mark 1. 22. He taught them as one that had authority. 
Mark 4. 9. He that hath ears to hear, let him hear. 
Mark 9. 40. He that is not against us is on our part. 
Mark 9. 50. If the salt have lost his saltness, where- 
with will ye season it? 
Mark 13. 14. Abomination of desolation. 
Luke 1. 28. Blessed art thou among women. 
Luke 2. 29. Now lettest thou thy servant depart in 

peace. 
Luke 4. 8. Get thee behind me, Satan. 
Luke 6. 27. Love your enemies. 
Luke 8. 35. Clothed, and in his right mind. 
Luke 9. 24. Whosoever will save his life shall lose it. 
Luke 9. 25. What is a man advantaged, if he gain the 

whole world, and lose himself ? 
Luke 10. 7. The laborer is worthy of his hire. 
Luke 10. 29. Who is my neighbor? 
Luke 14. 11. Whosoever exalteth himself shall be 

abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be 

exalted. 
Luke 14. 18. They all with one consent began to make 

excuse. 
Luke 15. 16. He would fain have filled his belly with 

the husks that the swine did eat. 
Luke 16. 8. The children of light. 
Luke 16. 9. Make to yourselves friends of the mammon 

of unrighteousness. 
Luke 16. 19. Clothed in purple and fine linen. 
Luke 16. 31. Neither will they be persuaded, though 

one rose from the dead. 
Luke 17. 17. Where are the nine? 
Luke 17. 35. The one shall be taken, and the other left. 
John 1. 23. The voice of one crying in the wilderness. 
John 2. 10. Thou hast kept the good wine until now, 
John 3. 7. Ye must be born again. 



42 THE ENGLISH BIBLE 

John 3. 8. The wind bloweth where it listeth. 
John 4. 32. I have meat to eat that ye know not of. 
John 8. 32. Ye shall know the truth, and the truth 

shall make you free. 
John 12. 8. The poor always ye have with you. 
John 15. 13. Greater love hath no man than this, that 

a man lay down his life for his friends. 
John 15. 20. The servant is not greater than his lord. 
John 19. 5. Behold the man ! 
Acts 3. 6. Silver and gold have I none. 
Acts 8. 20. Thy money perish with thee. 
Acts 9. 5. It is hard for thee to kick against the 

pricks. 
Acts 10. 34. God is no respecter of persons. 
Acts 13. 51. They shook off the dust of their feet. 
Acts 17. 26. [He] hath made of one blood all nations 

of men. 
Acts 17. 28. In him we live, and move, and have our 

being., 
Acts 20. 24. None of these things move me. 
Acts 23. 5. Thou shalt not speak evil of the ruler of 

thy people. 
Acts 25. 11. I appeal unto Caesar. 
Acts 26. 26. This thing was not done in a corner. 
Rom. 2. 11. There is no respect of persons with God. 
Rom. 2. 28. He is not a Jew, which is one outwardly. 
Rom. 6. 19. I speak after the manner of men. 
Rom. 7. 21. When I would do good, evil is present with 

me. 
Rom. 10. 12. There is no difference between the Jew 

and the Greek. 
Rom. 11. 13. I magnify mine office. 
Rom. 12. 16. Be not wise in your own conceits. 
Rom. 13. 1. Let every soul be subject unto the higher 

powers. 
Rom. 13. 1. The powers that be. 
Rom. 13. 8. Owe no man anything. 



SPECIAL PASSAGES 43 

1 Cor. 3. 2. I have fed you with milk, and not with 

meat. 
1 Cor. 6. 19. Your body is the temple of the Holy 

Ghost. 
1 Cor. 7. 31. The fashion of this world. 
1 Cor. 9. 22. All things to all men. 
1 Cor. 10. 12. Let him that thinketh he standeth take 

heed lest he fall. 
1 Cor. 12. 31. Covet earnestly the best gifts. 
1 Cor. 13. 12. Through a glass, darkly. 
1 Cor. 13. 13. The greatest of these is charity. 
1 Cor. 14. 8. If the trumpet give an uncertain sound. 
1 Cor. 14. 40. Let all things be done decently and in 

order. 
1 Cor. 15. 29. What shall they do which are baptized 

for the dead? 
1 Cor. 15. 52. In the twinkling of an eye. 
1 Cor. 15. 55. O death, where is thy sting? 

1 Cor. 16. 13. Quit you like men. 

2 Cor. 11. 14. Satan himself is transformed into an 

angel of light. 

2 Cor. 12. 7. A thorn in the flesh. 

Gal. 1. 16. I conferred not with flesh and blood. 

Gal. 5. 14. Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. 

Gal. 6. 7. Whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also 
reap. 

Phil. 3. 14. I press toward the mark. 

Phil. 3. 19. Whose God is their belly. 

Phil. 4. 5. Let your moderation be known unto all 
men. 

Phil. 4. 7. The peace of God, which passeth all under- 
standing. 

1 Thess. 1. 3. Labor of love. 

2 Thess. 3. 13. Be not weary in well doing. 

1 Tim. 5. 18. The laborer is worthy of his reward. 
1 Tim. 6. 8. Having food and raiment, let us be there- 
with content. 



44 



THE ENGLISH BIBLE 



2 Tim. 4. 3. Teachers, having itching ears. 

Heb. 7. 16. The power of an endless life. 

Heb. 10. 38. The just shall live by faith. 

Heb. 12. 1. A cloud of witnesses. 

Heb. 12.- 6. Whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth. 

1 John 2. 16. The pride of life. 

Kev. 3. 15. I would thou wert cold or hot. 

Bev. 13. 16. A mark [of the beast] in . . . their 

foreheads. 
Bev. 14. 2. The voice of many waters. 
Bev. 21. 1. A new heaven and a new earth. 
Bev. 22. 13. I am Alpha and Omega, 



CHAPTER II 

A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE PERIOD OF THE 

BIBLE 

The scenes of many of the narratives in the Old 
Testament considerably antedated the time in which 
they were written. Perhaps the scenes in the book of 
Job carry us back the furthest into antiquity. Some of 
the Genesis stories are also very early. The real his- 
tory of the Israelites may be said to have begun about 
B. C. 1250 — the time of the Exodus from Egypt. Under 
the leadership of Moses and Joshua the Hebrews en- 
joyed a unique form of government. The real King 
was Jehovah and to him appeal was constantly made 
by their leaders. Under Joshua the conquest of 
Canaan was effected and the conquered portion was 
divided among the twelve tribes. After the death of 
Joshua a period of internal dissension followed lasting 
about two hundred years. It was a time when "There 
was no king in Israel : every man did that which was 
right in his own eyes." A long line of national heroes 
known as Judges included such names as Shamgar, 
Gideon, Jephthah, Samson, and Deborah. The last of 
the Judges was Samuel who was a prophet or seer as 
well as a judge. Near the close of Samuel's leadership 
the people clamored for a king and Saul, of the tribe 
of Benjamin, was chosen. His reign was successful 
from a military point of view, but it closed with a 
period of depression due to his intermittent fits of in- 
sanity. 

Saul was succeeded by David, of the tribe of Judah, 
whose long reign was a constant struggle against in- 
ternal dissensions and foreign aggression. During his 

45 



46 THE ENGLISH BIBLE 

reign and that of Solomon, who succeeded him, litera- 
ture and art were developed to a high degree. Solo- 
mon maintained a court characterized by Oriental 
splendor. Upon his death, B. C. 975, ten tribes revolted 
and the kingdom was divided into two rival sections. 
The northern section, including the ten tribes, chose 
Samaria as its capital and was known as the kingdom 
of Israel. The two tribes of Judah and Benjamin re- 
tained Jerusalem as their capital. 

The northern kingdom maintained its political ex- 
istence for two hundred and fifty years. It was char- 
acterized by internal dissensions and the development 
of considerable political corruption. Occasionally 
there appeared a king who strove to restore the earlier 
conditions, but for the most part the rulers were not 
men of much moral purpose or strength of character. 
The prophets Elijah and Elisha went about as preach- 
ers of righteousness in the northern kingdom, and 
Amos and Hosea have left their prophetic messages in 
book form. Israel was captured by Sargon, King of 
Nineveh, about B. C. 721, and the ten tribes seem to 
have become quite lost to history. There is at present, 
however, a religious organization which claims to be 
the descendants of these lost tribes, and which still 
maintains a form of worship which is supposed to go 
back to these times. 

The kingdom of Judah lasted until B. C. 588, or 
about one hundred and thirty years longer than the 
northern kingdom. This kingdom was a little more 
fortunate in the character of its rulers, although there 
were many w T ho w T ere most corrupt. 

Isaiah and Micah were prominent among the prophets 
of Judah. Under King Zedekiah the kingdom was sub- 
dued and the people carried as captives to Babylon. 
When Babylon was overcome by Cyrus, king of Persia, 
the Jews were permitted to return to Jerusalem and 
restored the temple. This privilege of maintaining 



BIBLE HISTORY 47 

their own religious rites at their old capital was con- 
tinued until about A. D. 70, when the city was laid 
waste by the Romans and a vast number of its in- 
habitants slain. 

During the time of Christ and his early disciples 
Judah was a province of the Roman empire. The patri- 
otic spirit blazed out at intervals during their sub- 
jection and reached its height under the Maccabees, 
about two centuries before Christ. The constant fear 
of outbreaks in this province had doubtless much to 
do with the attitude of the Roman authorities toward 
the message of Jesus and his disciples. 



CHAPTER III 

THE OLD TESTAMENT NARRATIVES 

For convenience the books of the Bible may be classi- 
fied as follows: 

The Old Testament 
The Narratives 

Genesis 

Exodus 

Leviticus 

Numbers 

Deuteronomy 

Joshua 

Judges 

Samuel 

Kings 

Chronicles 

Ezra 

Nehemiah 
The Major Classics 

Job 

Psalms 

Proverbs 
The Minor Classics 

Ruth 

Esther 

Ecclesiastes 

The Song of Solomon 

Lamentations 
The Major Prophets 

Isaiah 

Jeremiah 

Ezekiel 

Daniel* 

* The book of Daniel is apocalyptic as well as prophetic. 

48 



THE OLD TESTAMENT NARRATIVES 49 

The Minor Prophets 
Hosea 
Joel 
Amos 
Obadiah 
Jonah 
Micah 
Nahuin 
Habakkuk 
Zephaniah 
Haggai 
Zechariah 
Malachi 



The New Testament 



The Narratives 

Matthew 

Mark 

Luke 

John 

The Acts 
The Epistles 

Romans 

Corinthians 

Galatians 

Ephesians 

Philippians 

Colossians 

Thessalonians 

Timothy 

Titus 

Philemon 

Hebrews 

James 

Peter 

John 

Jude 



50 THE ENGLISH BIBLE 

The Apocalypse* 
Bevelation 
Unless it has been shown by proper tests that the 
students are reasonably familiar with the narratives 
here listed, a daily assignment should be made cover- 
ing the topics in the various books. In connection 
with this study the special passages tabulated in Chap- 
ter 2 should be used. 

Genesis 

1. The creation story with sequence of days. 1 

2. The second creation story. 2 

3. The temptation and fall. 3 

4. The murder of Abel. 4 

5. The Flood. 6-9 

6. The building of Babel. 11 

7. Disagreement of Abraham and Lot. 13 

8. Destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. 19 

9. The casting out of Hagar and Ishmael. 21 

10. Abraham's temptation to sacrifice Isaac. 22 

11. Isaac's courtship of Rebekah. 24 

12. The selling of Esau's birthright. 25 

13. The blessing of Jacob through deception. 27 

14. Jacob's courtship of Rachel. 29 

15. Jacob's trickery with Laban. 30 

16. Jacob's wrestling with the angel. 32 

17. Joseph's dreams and sale into Egypt. 37 

18. Joseph's advances in Egypt ; his imprisonment. 39 

19. Joseph's interpretation of dreams and restora- 

tion to court favor. 40-41 

20. Jacob's sons sent into Egypt to buy bread ; the 

meeting with Joseph. 42 

21. Further relations between Joseph and his 

father and brothers. 43-45 

22. The coming of Jacob's family into Egypt; the 

death of Jacob. 46-50 



* This would be the New Testament Apocalypse. 



THE OLD TESTAMENT NARRATIVES 51 

Exodus 

1. Multiplication of the Israelites, and Pharaoh's 

efforts to stop it. 1 

2. Birth of Moses and his early life. 2 

3. Moses called by God and sent with a message to 

Israel. 3 

4. Moses' excuses and final consent to go to the 

Israelites. 4 

5. Pharaoh increases the Israelites' burdens. 5 

6. Moses and Aaron begin the plagues upon 

Egypt. 7 

7. Further plagues; vacillation of Pharaoh. 8-11 

8. The plagues culminate and the Israelites are 

driven out. 12 

9. Journey of the Israelites accompanied by a pil- 

lar of cloud and a pillar of fire. 13 

10. The Israelites pass through the Red Sea, and 

the pursuing Egyptians are drowned. 

11. The song of Moses and Miriam. 15 

12. The Israelites murmur; manna and quails are 

sent. 16 

13. Meeting of Moses and Jethro ; Jethro's counsel. 18 

14. The journey to Sinai. Sacredness of the moun- 

tain. 19 

15. The Ten Commandments. 20 

16. In Moses' absence the people make a golden 

calf. 32 

17. Desire of Moses to see God. 33 

Leviticus 
1. Nadab and Abihu offer strange fire. 10 

Numbers 

1. Insubordination of Miriam and Aaron. 12 

2. The report from the spies. 13-14 

3. Eebellion of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram. 16 



52 THE ENGLISH BIBLE 

4. Moses smites the rock in anger. 20 

5. The story of Balaam. 22-24 

Deuteronomy 

1. The cities of refuge. 19 

2. The blessings and curses. 28 

3. The death of Moses. 34 

Joshua 

1. Joshua's commission. 1 

2. Story of Eahab and the spies. 2 

3. The crossing of the Jordan. 3,4 

4. The capture of Jericho. 6 

5. The sin of Achan. 7 

6. The battle at Gibeon. 10 

7. Death of Joshua. 24 

Judges 

1. Deborah and Barak deliver Israel. 4 

2. Song of Deborah and Barak. 5 

3. Gideon's adventures. 6-8 

4. Jotham's parable (fable). 9 

5. Jephthah's vow and its fulfillment. 11 

6. Birth and adventures of Samson. 13-16 

First Samuel 

1. The birth of Samuel. 1 

2. Samuel's vision. 3 

3. Death of Eli and his two sons. 4 

4. The ark in the house of Dagon. 5 

5. Further adventures of the ark. 6-7 

6. The people desire a king. 8 

7. Saul chosen and anointed king. 9-11 

8. Warfare of Saul and Jonathan against the 

enemies of Israel. Saul's rejection. 14-15 

9. David chosen to succeed Saul. 16 
10. David's combat with Goliath. 17 



THE OLD TESTAMENT NAKRATIVES 53 

11. Jonathan's love and Saul's hatred for David. 18-20 

12. David's escape from Saul. 23-24 

13. Nabal's churlishness. 25 

14. Saul and the witch of Endor. 28 

15. Defeat and death of Saul. 31 

Second Samuel 

1. Adventures of Joab and Abner. 

2. The bringing back of the ark. 6 

3. David forbidden to build a house for God. 7 

4. David and Bathsheba. 11-12 

5. Nathan's parable. 12. 1-14 

6. Adventures of Absalom. 14, 18 

7. David numbers the people. 24 

First Kings 

1. Adonijah's usurpation of the kingdom. 

2. Solomon succeeds David. 2 

3. Solomon's choice of wisdom; judgment be- 

tween two women. 3 

4. The building and dedication of the temple. 6-9 

5. The Queen of Sheba visits Solomon. 10 

6. Eehoboam's reign and policy; revolt of ten 

tribes. 12 

7. Ministry of Elijah. 17-22 

8. Story of Naboth's vineyard. 21 

Second Kings 

1. Ministry of Elijah. 1-2 

2. Ministry of Elisha. 2-13 

3. The northern kingdom carried into captivity. 17 

4. Slaughter of the Assyrians. 19 

5. The story of the sundial. 20 

6. Jerusalem taken by Nebuchadnezzar, king of 

Babylon. 25 

First and Second Chronicles repeated from First and 
Second Kings. 



54 THE ENGLISH BIBLE 



Ezra 



1. Cyrus, king of Persia, permits the captive He- 

brews to return to Jerusalem and build the 

temple. 1 

2. Jeshua and Zerubbabel direct this undertaking. 3 

3. Adversaries hinder the building. 4 

4. The feast of dedication and the feast of the 

Passover are kept. 6 

5. Ezra carries on the work. 7-10 

Nehemiah 

1. Nehemiah takes up the work of building. 1-3 

2. His precautions against his enemies. 4 

3. The Jews complain of financial difficulties. 5 

4. The craftiness of Sanballat. 6 

5. Beligious exercises established by Ezra. 8 

6. The reforms made by Nehemiah. 



CHAPTER IV 
THE NEW TESTAMENT NARRATIVES 

The Gospels 

The selection of narratives used here is from The 
Interwoven Gospels, by the Rev. William Pittenger 
(John B. Alden, publisher). 

1. Introduction. Matt. 1; Luke 1; John 1. 

2. The annunciation. Luke 1. 

3. Meeting of Mary and Elisabeth and the birth of 

John. Luke 1. 

4. The birth of Jesus. Matt. 1. 

5. The shepherds and the angels. Luke 2. 

6. Song of Simeon and Anna. Luke 2. 

7. The visit of the wise men. Matt. 2. 

8. The journey into Egypt. Matt. 2. 

9. Jesus in the Temple. Luke 2. 

10. Preaching of John the Baptist. Matt. 3; Mark 1; 

Luke 3. 

11. The baptism of Jesus. Matt. 3; Mark 1; Luke 3. 

12. The temptation of Jesus. Matt. 4; Luke 4. 

13. The calling of the first disciples. John 1. 

14. The marriage at Cana. John 2. 

15. Jesus cleanses the Temple. John 2. 

16. Jesus meets Nicodemus. John 3. 

17. Jesus and the woman of Samaria. John 4. 

18. Jesus preaches at Nazareth. Luke 4. 

19. The miracles at Capernaum. Matt. 8; Mark 2. 

20. The sermon on the Mount. Matt. 5-7. 

21. Jesus heals the daughter of Jairus. Mark 5 ; Matt. 

9; Luke 8. 

22. Teaching regarding the Sabbath. Matt. 12; Mark 

2; Luke 6. 

55 



56 THE ENGLISH BIBLE 

23. The twelve disciples chosen. Mark 3. 

24. The healing of the centurion's servant. Matt. 8; 

Luke 7. 

25. Discussion concerning blasphemy. Mark 3. 

26. Various parables. Matt. 13 ; Mark 4 ; Luke 8. 

27. The calming of the sea. Matt. 8; Mark 4. 

28. The unclean spirit sent into the swine. Matt. 8; 

Mark 5; Luke 8. 

29. John the Baptist beheaded. Matt. 14; Mark 6. 

30. The feeding of the multitude. Matt. 14 ; John 6. 

31. Jesus walks on the sea. Matt. 14 ; Mark 6 ; John 6. 

32. Peter's confession and change of name. Matt. 16. 

33. The transfiguration. Matt. 17; Mark 9; Luke 9. 

34. Jesus and the sinful woman. John 8. 

35. Parables of the Kingdom of Heaven. Luke 13-16. 

36. The raising of Lazarus. John 11. 

37. Jesus enters Jerusalem in triumph. Matt. 21; 

Mark 11; Luke 19; John 11. 

38. Discourses on various subjects. Matt. 21-26. 

39. The preparation for the Passover. Matt. 26 ; Mark 

14; Luke 22. 

40. The washing of the disciples' feet. John 13. 

41. The traitor indicated. Matt. 26; Mark 14; Luke 

22; John 13. 

42. The Lord's supper. Matt. 26; Mark 14; Luke 22. 

43. Jesus' last discourse. John 14-17. 

44. The agony in Gethsemane. Matt. 26; Mark 14; 

Luke 22; John 17. 

45. The arrest of Jesus. Matt. 26; Mark 14; Luke 22; 

John 18. 

46. Peter's denial. Matt. 26; Mark 14; Luke 22; John 

18. 

47. The trial of Jesus. Matt. 26-27; Mark 14. 

48. The remorse of Judas. Matt. 27. 

49. The crucifixion. Matt 27; Mark 15; Luke 23; 

John 19. 

50. The two malefactors. Luke 23. 



THE NEW TESTAMENT NAKRATIVES 57 

51. Jesus' last words and death. Matt. 27; Mark 15; 

Luke 23 ; John 19. 

52. Visits to the sepulcher; the resurrection. Matt. 

28; Mark 16; Luke 24; John 20. 

53. The walk to Emmaus. Mark 16 ; Luke 24. 

54. The special revelation to Thomas. John 20. 

55. The ascension. Mark 16; Luke 24. 

The Acts 

1. The ascension of Jesus. 1 

2. The gift of tongues. 1 

3. Peter preaches and baptizes converts. 2 

4. The cure of the lame man. 3 

5. The deception of Ananias and Sapphira. 5 

6. Seven deacons chosen; Stephen the most 

prominent. 6 

7. The preaching and martyrdom of Stephen. 7 

8. The conversion of the Ethiopian eunuch. 8 

9. The conversion of Saul of Tarsus. 9 

10. The vision of Peter and its lesson. 10 

11. Persecution by Herod. 12 

12. Paul and Barnabas preach to the Gentiles; 

their various experiences. 13 

13. Paul is worshiped and stoned. 14 

14. Paul and Silas have miraculous experiences in 

prison. 16 

15. Paul's address on Mars' Hill. 17 

16. Further persecution of Paul. 19 

17. Paul restores Eutychus, who had fallen down 

dead. 20 

18. Further persecutions and preaching. 21-26 

19. Paul is shipwrecked and lands at Malta. 27 

20. Paul journeys to Eome and remains there two 

years. 28 



CHAPTER V 
THE MAJOR CLASSICS— I 

Psalms and Proverbs 

Psalms. — The book of Psalms is a collection of lyric 
poems of the highest order. The authorship is uncer- 
tain, but it is generally supposed that a large number 
of them were written by David, while others are 
ascribed to various other authors. The book is di- 
vided into five parts. The first Psalm may be regarded 
as an introduction to the entire book and the last 
Psalm as a conclusion. The contrasting themes of 
these two Psalms should be noted. The first book in- 
cludes Psalms 1-42 and concludes with an ascription of 
praise in Psalm 41. 13. The second book includes 
Psalms 42-72 and concludes with Psalm 72. 18, 19. The 
third book comprises Psalms 72-89 and concludes with 
verse 52 of Psalm 79. The fourth book comprises 
Psalms 90-106 and closes with verse 48. The last book 
includes Psalms 107-150 and closes with the remarkable 
ascription of praise to Jehovah in Psalm 150. The ap- 
proximate dates of certain of the Psalms are suggested 
by the subjects considered. For illustrations read 
Psalms 74, 79, 89, 102, 115, 126, 137, 147. 

The Psalms have been grouped according to their 
literary characteristics. The first group contains 
Psalms of humility and penitence and includes, for ex- 
ample, Psalms 6, 23, 27, 38, 40, 42, 46, 51, and 91. A 
second group contains Psalms which set forth the at- 
tributes of God. Illustrations of these are Psalms 24, 
48, 50, 96, 97, 98, 99, and 100. A third group, including 
Psalms 8, 19, 29, 65, 93, and 104, are nature songs. A 
fourth group includes the imprecatory Psalms such as 
Psalms 58, 68, 69, 109, and 137. 

58 



THE MAJOR CLASSICS— I 59 

The best illustrations of parallelism and the other 
literary forms mentioned in Chapter XXI are to be 
found in the Psalms. Frequent reference has been 
made to them in illustrations of these forms. The 
student will find it a profitable exercise to go over the 
book of Psalms in the Revised Version, or, still better, 
with the use of Moulton's Modern Reader's Bible and 
select as many additional illustrations of these literary 
forms as possible. Dr. Abbott in his Life and Litera- 
ture of the Ancient Hebrews suggests that certain of 
the Psalms contain a dramatic interplay of characters. 
Taking Psalm 91 as an illustration, the passage, "He 
that dwelleth in the secret place of the most high shall 
abide in the shadow of the Almighty," is spoken by 
a reverent soul; the passage, "For he shall deliver thee 
from the snare of the fowler and from the noisome 
pestilence," is attributed to a listening prophet; and 
the passage, "Because he hath set his love upon me 
therefore will I deliver him," is spoken by Jehovah 
himself. Out of the list of eight hundred and 
fifty passages remarkable for their literary value 
which are noted in Chapter II, one hundred and sixteen 
are from the book of Psalms. 

Proverbs. — As in the case of the book of Psalms the 
authorship of Proverbs is uncertain. They were for- 
merly ascribed to Solomon, but it is now generally con- 
sidered that they are a collection of proverbs uttered 
by various people, all of which are similar in style to 
the proverbial expressions which emanated from King 
Solomon. The book may be divided for purposes of 
study into eight divisions. 

1. Wisdom proverbs. 1-9 

2. Virtues and contrasted vices. 10-25 

3. Further proverbs of Solomon. 25-29 

4. Words of Agur. 30 

5. The words of King Lemuel. 31. 1-9 

6. The praise of a virtuous woman. 31. 10-31 



60 THE ENGLISH BIBLE 

Many of the proverbs consist of two lines, the second 
of which sustains some relation to the first. These may 
be synonymous, repeating the same thought; anti- 
thetic, expressing a contrast; or synthetic, where the 
second is used to complete the first. See Chapter XXI, 
where this is discussed under parallelism. It will be 
a profitable exercise for the student to select certain 
passages in Proverbs as 10. 1-32; 11. 1-31; 13. 1-25; 
and note the illustrations of parallelism, and indicate 
into which group each falls. The somewhat peculiar 
literary form which appears in chapter 30. 18-31 should 
be studied and compared with a similar method of ex- 
pression in Amos 1. 9-13. 

Certain critics find an abundance of wit and humor 
in the book of Proverbs. The following passages may 
be taken as illustrations: chapter 20. 14; 23. 29-35; 
25. 17; 25. 19; 26. 3; 26. 15. The book should be read 
for further illustrations. It would be well first to 
formulate a definition of wit and humor and then to 
test the various passages in the light of these defini- 
tions. 



CHAPTER VI 
THE MAJOR CLASSICS— II 

Job 

It is said that Thomas Carlyle was asked by his 
hostess one morning at family prayers to read a Scrip- 
ture passage. He happened to select the first chapter 
of Job, and when he had finished this chapter he was 
so absorbed in the narrative that he continued to read 
the entire book of forty-two chapters before permitting 
the hostess to serve breakfast. Whether or not this 
is an authentic story, it is true that Carlyle has said: 
"I call the book of Job, apart from all theories about it, 
one of the grandest things ever written with pen. 
There is nothing written, I think, in the Bible or out of 
it, of equal literary merit." This is high praise from 
one who was himself a master of English. That it was 
not extravagant is shown by the fact that many other 
of our most competent judges have pronounced similar 
opinions. 

The book of Job may be divided into six divisions: 
The prologue; The curse; The debate; The addresses 
of Elihu; The addresses of the voice out of the whirl- 
wind ; The epilogue. The student should first read the 
book for the story, which he will find to run something 
like this: At an assembly of the heavenly host Satan 
appears and is questioned by Jehovah concerning his 
wanderings, and finally he is asked if he has considered 
Job — a perfect man who fears God and eschews evil. 
Satan insinuates that Job is not entirely to be com- 
mended in his service to God, for if his material pros- 
perity were to be taken away, his loyalty would cease. 
Satan is given an opportunity to test Job with regard 

61 



62 THE ENGLISH BIBLE 

to this, and there follows a series of calamities which 
reduce Job to extreme poverty. In all this Job sinned 
not, but Satan is not quite satisfied with the test and 
demands that his afflictions be increased so as to cause 
him to suffer bodily pain. This permission is granted, 
and again Job retains his integrity, even though urged 
by his wife to curse God and die. 

The story continues by the advent of three of Job's 
friends who come ostensibly to comfort him, but really 
to show him the error of his ways and to preach to him 
the particular philosophy of life which each one holds. 
These discourses, together with Job's replies, consti- 
tute the debate. Later a young man, Elihu, comes upon 
the scene, and apparently disgusted with the failure of 
the three friends to meet Job's arguments, undertakes 
the case in a somewhat aggressive manner. Neither 
Job nor the three friends pay any attention to the dis- 
courses of Elihu, and he is finally interrupted by a 
whirlwind out of which comes the voice of the Lord 
uttering pronouncements of the loftiest character. In 
the face of these Job is humbled and repents in dust 
and ashes. In the epilogue we are told of Job's restora- 
tion to prosperity even greater than he at first pos- 
sessed. 

Concerning the characters in the book it may be said 
that Satan or, more properly, The Satan is represented 
as one of the heavenly host whose business it was to 
discover and report the weaknesses of mankind. He 
is not at all like the personal devil of Milton and the 
Middle Ages. Job's wife may be regarded as a temp- 
tress of her husband, or as one who was desirous of 
giving him moral support in his troubles. She plays 
but a brief part in the story. 

With the story clearly in mind the entire book should 
be re-read and the viewpoints of the three friends, Job, 
Elihu, and the voice out of the whirlwind should be 
studied. It should be noted that each one of the friends 



THE MAJOK CLASSICS— II 63 

begins with a studied courtesy which gradually disap- 
pears as the discussion waxes warmer. In general, the 
appeal of Eliphaz is to the universal laws of nature, 
reenforced by what he considers a personal revelation 
to himself. Bildad was a traditionalist and was wont 
to appeal to the fathers; Zophar emphasized the folly 
of searching after God (chapter 11), and utters senti- 
ments which are similar to those which later came from 
the voice of the Lord. 

There seems to be some confusion regarding the 
closing chapters of the debate. Up to chapter 25 each 
of the three friends has spoken in turn and been an- 
swered by Job. Zophar fails to reply to Job's last 
speech and Bildad's speech has very little point. This 
is thought by some to indicate the victory of Job over 
the friends in the general discussion. Others hold that 
by a disarrangement of the manuscript parts of the 
last speech of Bildad have been wrongly attributed to 
Job and that those portions of chapter 27 which deal 
with the punishment of the wicked and chapter 28 
which would seem appropriately to fall to Zophar have 
been wrongly attributed to Job. 

The book of Job seems to contain two distinct prob- 
lems. The first is contained in the question, Doth Job 
fear God for nought? This is a problem discussed by 
the heavenly host, but it is of great interest to the 
human race. It may be stated in another form: Is 
there such a thing as disinterested virtue? The con- 
duct of Job under his afflictions gives an affirmative 
answer to this question. The second problem lies in 
the endeavor to find out why misfortunes exist in the 
world, and especially why they fall to the lot of the 
righteous. To this question the book of Job does not 
return a complete answer. The three friends and Elihu 
are unwavering in their belief that Job's misfortunes 
have come from secret sins, while Job himself adheres 
to the contrary opinion. The voice of the Lord does 



64 THE ENGLISH BIBLE 

not give us a specific answer but teaches general prin- 
ciples. It seems to say that while these problems are 
difficult it is only because we are unable to see them 
from the point of view of infinity. It is as if a horse 
or a dog or an amoeba should complain of human con- 
duct. With a larger view the difficulties will be cleared 
up, but we may never expect a perfect solution in this 
life. This is by no means a philosophy of despair, but, 
on the contrary, it gives us hope of a time to come when 
the problems which now perplex us will be cleared 
away. It was probably the earliest teaching in all 
literature of the stupendous fact that "nothing walks 
with aimless feet." 

Dr. Owen has classed the book of Job among the 
five skeptical dramas of the world's literature. The 
other four are Prometheus Bound, Faust, Hamlet, and 
the Wonder-Working Magician. The most striking re- 
semblance appears in Prometheus Bound, where the 
problems are very similar as are the mental perplexi- 
ties of the heroes of the books. One should read care- 
fully a translation of this great tragedy. The follow- 
ing passages will illustrate the similarity mentioned: 

? Tis easy for the man whose foot is placed 

Outside calamity to urge advice, 

On him who struggles in their toils (Prometheus). 

I should also speak as ye do, 
If your soul were in my soul's stead, 
I could heap up words against you 
And shake my head at you (Job). 

The opening passages of Faust are based directly 
upon the book of Job, and Mephistopheles is the Satan 
considerably modified in character. 

The Lord 
Hast thou, then, nothing more to mention? 






THE MAJOR CLASSICS— II 65 

Com'st ever, thus, with ill intention? 
Find'st nothing right on earth, eternally? 

Mephistopheles 

No, Lord ! I find things, there, still bad as they can be, 

Man's misery even to pity moves my nature ; 

I've scarce the heart to plague the wretched creature. 

The Lord 
Know'st Faust? 

Mephistopheles 
The Doctor Faust? 

The Lord 
My servant, he! 

Mephistopheles 

Forsooth! He serves you after strange devices: 
No earthly meat or drink the fool suffices: 
His spirit's ferment far aspireth; 
Half conscious of his frenzied, crazed unrest, 
The fairest stars from Heaven he requireth, 
From Earth the highest raptures and the best, 
And all the Near and Far that he desireth 
Fails to subdue the tumult of his breast. 

The Lord 

Though still confused his service unto me, 
I soon shall lead him to a clearer morning. 
Sees not the gardener, even while buds his tree, 
Both flower and fruit the future years adorning? 

Mephistopheles 

What will you bet? There's still a chance to gain him, 
If unto me full leave you give, 
Gently upon my road to train him! 



66 THE ENGLISH BIBLE 

The Lord 

As long as he on earth shall live 

So long I make no prohibition. 

While man's desires and aspirations stir, 

He cannot choose but err. 

Mephistopheles 

My thanks! I find the dead no acquisition, 

And never cared to have them in my keeping. 

I much prefer the cheeks where ruddy blood is leaping, 

And when a corpse approaches, close my house: 

It goes with me, as with the cat the mouse. 

The Lord 

Enough! What thou hast asked is granted, 

Turn off this spirit from his fountain-head; 

To trap him let thy snares be planted, 

And him, with thee, be downward led; 

Then stand abashed, when thou art forced to say: 

A good man, through obscurest aspiration, 

Has still an instinct of the one true way. 

Mephistopheles 

I like, at times, to hear The Ancient's word, 
And have a care to be most civil: 
It's really kind of such a noble Lord 
So humanly to gossip with the Devil ! 

The book of Job has been called an epic, a drama, 
and a system of philosophy. Professor Genung has 
called it the "Epic of the Inner Life." Dr. Lyman Ab- 
bott calls it dramatic philosophy, or a highly spiritual 
tragedy. The book certainly contains great dramatic 
possibilities. The student should be interested to read 
one or two books which contain extended discussions 
of this masterpiece. Genung's Epic of the Inner Life, 



THE MAJOR CLASSICS— II 67 

Moulton's The Book of Job, or Davidson's Job are 
recommended. It is hoped that this brief outline will 
be sufficient to awaken an interest in this wonderful 
book. 

The extracts from Job on page 192 represent the 
points of view and literary value of the various char- 
acters. 



CHAPTER VII 

THE FIVE MINOR CLASSICS 

The name "Megilloth," or "Rolls," has been given to 
a group of five shorter books of the Bible. These in- 
clude Ruth, Esther, Ecclesiastes, The Song of Solomon, 
and the Lamentations of Jeremiah. 

Ruth 

The scene of the book of Ruth is laid some time dur- 
ing the period of the Judges (1.1). It tells the story 
of a Moabitish maiden with a charm which has few 
parallels in literature. Tennyson's "Dora" and Long- 
fellow's "Evangeline" deal with characters which may 
be compared to Ruth for their Arcadian simplicity. 
Dr. Lyman Abbott has told the story of Ruth in his 
work The Bible as Literature. He states that it is 
told much better in the Bible than he has told it. It 
affords excellent practice for students in the telling of 
short stories to take such a one as this and tell it to 
a class of young people who may be hearing it for the 
first time. The interest developed will constitute an 
accurate test of the skill of the narrator. The peculiar 
custom described in chapter 4 should be noted. The 
place of Ruth in the genealogy of David and Jesus 
is indicated at the close of the book. The date of writ- 
ing is unquestionably a late one. The writer finds it 
necessary (4. 7) to explain a certain old custom which 
had doubtless long since passed into disuse. 

The book of Ruth is commonly classed as an idyl 
and Goethe has spoken of it as the "daintiest love idyl." 
The charm of the book lies in the beauty of the narra- 

68 



THE FIVE MINOR CLASSICS 69 

tive as a whole; there are but few individual passages 
which are used in modern literature. 

Esther 

This book, like the one just discussed, bears the name 
of a woman. It is a historical romance with strong 
dramatic possibilities. The following outline will as- 
sist in the study of the book. 

1. Vashti, the queen, refuses to be present at the feast 

of Ahasuerus. 1 

2. Esther, a Jewess maiden, is chosen queen in place of 

Vashti. 2 

3. Haman, the Agagite, is advanced by King Ahasue- 

rus, and is despised by Mordecai, Esther's uncle. 
He obtains a decree by which the Jews are to be 
put to death. 3 

4. Esther and Mordecai confer over the situation. 4 

5. Esther goes to the king and requests permission to 

give a special banquet to the king and Haman. 
Haman prepares a gallows for Mordecai. 5 

6. Ahasuerus finds an account in his book of records 

of conspicuous service which had been rendered 
by Mordecai. He advises with Haman regarding 
the reward which should be given to the man 
whom the king delighteth to honor. Haman is 
appointed to carry out the king's orders regarding 
the honoring of Mordecai. 6 

7. Esther denounces Haman at the banquet and he is 

hanged on the gallows prepared for Mordecai. 7 

8. The decree relating to the slaughter of the Jews is 

revoked and Esther and Mordecai have great pros- 
perity. 8, 9, 10 
From reference to Ahasuerus (Xerxes) it is obvious 
that the scene is placed in the fifth century B. C. Like 
the book of Euth it contains a fascinating story most 
skillfully told. The literary value of the book depends 
largely upon this characteristic. 



70 THE ENGLISH BIBLE 

ECCLESIASTES 

The name of this book comes from the Hebrew 
through the Greek and has been translated "Preacher." 
The term is not used in its modern significance, as the 
writer was a philosopher rather than a speaker in an 
assembly. The authorship of the book is uncertain. 
It is obviously a collection of reflections from one or 
more writers who had passed through a great variety 
of life's experiences and had come at its close into an 
attitude of reflectiveness. The entire book should be 
read by the student, and while reading it the following 
topics should be kept constantly before the mind : 

Does true happiness come from the possession of 
wisdom ? 

Does it come through labor? 

Is there any distinction between man and the beasts 
in the final reckoning? 

The vanities which come from riches, children, and 
old age. 

The value of a good name and the suggestion that 
gaining wisdom is the chief end of man. 

Further development of the wisdom thesis. 

An exhortation to worship the Creator. 

The conclusion of the whole matter. 

Read chapters 3 and 12 aloud. If there is not suffi- 
cient time to carry out the suggestion made elsewhere 
that a comparative study be made of Ecclesiastes and 
the Rubaiyat, it is desirable that this poem should at 
least be read. 

Song op Solomon 

Few books in the Bible have awakened more discus- 
sion than the Song of Solomon. It was with consider- 
able difficulty that it found a place in the Old Testa- 
ment canon. When admitted its reading was forbidden 
to Israelites under a certain age. It has been some- 



THE FIVE MINOR CLASSICS 71 

what fancifully suggested that the Shulamite maiden 
was none other than Abishag, the Shunammite who 
ministered to King David in his extreme old age and 
who seemed to possess the affections of both Solomon 
and his elder brother Adonijah. Before accepting any 
theory of interpretation the book should be carefully 
read. 

Those who are looking for a dramatic setting in the 
book will find it easy to accept the interpretation that 
the various parts of the book were delivered in turn by 
Solomon, w T ho had come into northern Palestine with 
his court; a Shulamite maiden who is betrothed to a 
rustic lover; and a chorus of court women. With this 
interpretation in mind the poem may be supposed to 
represent the struggle of King Solomon to win the 
affections of the maiden from her rustic lover. Solo- 
mon begins his appeal by flattering references to her 
beauty, chapters 1. 9, and 2. 7. The maiden replies by 
setting forth the graces and virtues of her lover. Solo- 
mon renews his suit, chapter 4. 1-7, by use of the strong- 
est Oriental imagery as a tribute to the maiden's 
beauty, but all of this is without avail. Then follows 
a duet by the maiden and her lover. Solomon makes a 
further appeal (chapter 6. 4-10) and is again repulsed. 
The chorus of women which has been in sympathy with 
the aspirations of the king now weakens somewhat in 
its allegiance and begins to express sympathy with the 
maiden in her preference for her rustic lover. The 
concluding scene takes place in the country home of 
the maiden. She and her lover are reunited and Solo- 
mon makes the best of the situation. 

Another interpretation makes the king himself iden- 
tical with the rustic lover. Unable to gain her affec- 
tions in his own person, King Solomon disguises him- 
self as a shepherd and wins her love. He then reveals 
himself to her as the king and they are wedded in royal 
state. There are many poetical expressions in the book 



72 THE ENGLISH BIBLE 

which have made for themselves a strong place in 
modern literature. 

The interpretation held by orthodox critics a half 
century ago finds little favor at present. 

Lamentations 

This little book is made up of five elegies which are 
arranged in a remarkable literary form. The first four 
are in the form of an acrostic where each verse begins 
with the successive letters of the Hebrew alphabet. 
Chapter 3 has sixty-six verses, but each three succes- 
sive lines begin with the same letter. Chapter 5 
is not in the acrostic form, but contains twenty-two 
verses. This book was read by the Jews at the feast 
of the Ninth of Ab, in commemoration of the burning 
of the city by Nebuchadnezzar (1. 1), as Buth was read 
at the Passover season, and Esther at the Feast of 
Purim. It is still chanted by pious Jews at the wailing- 
place by the temple. 

The following arrangement with the English alpha- 
bet will illustrate the acrostic form. Chapter 2 : 

1. Anger has come from the Lord and covered the 

daughter of Zion. 

2. Broken are the inhabitants of Jacob, and laid waste 

are the strongholds. 

3. Cut off is the horn of Israel and Jacob is consumed 

with fire. 

4. Destruction came from his bow and desolate is the 

daughter of Zion. 

5. Enmity from Jehovah has swallowed up Israel and 

increased mourning in the daughter of Judah. 

6. Forgotten are the solemn feasts and Sabbaths, and 

the places of assembly are destroyed. 



CHAPTER VIII 
THE EARLIER PREEXILIC PROPHETS 

Amos 

During the reign of Jeroboam II (783-743), the 
northern kingdom of Israel enjoyed a period of great 
prosperity. This was due in large measure to the 
temporary weakness of its powerful neighbors. With 
this prosperity there came in a certain arrogance. Re- 
ligion became more or less formal, and class dis- 
tinctions, rather uncommon in Israel, began to de- 
velop. 

The prophet Amos was the immediate successor of 
the great prophetic figures, Elijah and Elisha. He 
tells us that he was a herdsman from the village of 
Tekoa. He possessed a keen conception of the serious 
situation in which the northern kingdom found itself, 
and the burden of his message was the inevitable com- 
ing doom. Chapters 1 and 2 should be read aloud and 
their excellence as a specimen of oratory noted. Note 
the literary form in 1. 3, 6, 9, 11, 13 ; 2. 1, 4, 6, and com- 
pare with Prov. 30. The conclusion in which Judah 
and Israel are brought into the category of condemna- 
tion is very striking. 

Although the book as a whole is of high literary 
merit, only two passages have been selected as espe- 
cially noteworthy. 

Hosea 

After the death of Jeroboam I in 743 the northern 
kingdom began to see the fruits of the false security 
which was the burden of Amos's prophecies. Tiglath 
Pileser IV became ruler of Assyria in 745, and the 
overcoming of Israel was an easy task. Hosea's mes- 

73 



74 THE ENGLISH BIBLE 

sage differed from that of Amos in coupling the 
graciousness of God with the certainty of doom. He 
makes use of a wonderfully pathetic figure of an un- 
faithful wife (chapter 1) and compares the husband's 
continued affection with the readiness with which God 
forgives. 

The book is somewhat disconnected and the style is 
tender and emotional. It contains a large number of 
frequently quoted passages. 

Isaiah 

While Jeroboam II was reigning in the northern 
kingdom Uzziah was king of Judah. This kingdom 
likewise enjoyed a period of prosperity. Uzziah was 
succeeded by Jotham and Ahaz, weak monarchs, and 
then came Hezekiah, a ruler who showed considerable 
strength of character. It was during the latter part 
of this period that Isaiah did his prophetic work. (It 
is no part of this book to go into technical discussions 
of authorship, but it may be said that it is the opinion 
of scholars that the Isaiah mentioned here had to do 
with chapters 1-39, and that the remaining chapters re- 
late to a second Isaiah who lived considerably later.) 

The message of Isaiah was very similar to those of 
Amos and Hosea, but he seemed to have been a man of 
considerable influence at court. He was a member of 
the upper classes and a writer of great literary charm. 
Chapter 5 begins with a parable and concludes with a 
remarkably powerful piece of oratory. In chapter 11 
he sees a vision of a time which is to come and sets it 
forth in strong and beautiful language. Bead also 
chapters 26 and 32 in this connection. The remainder 
of the book is made up largely of denunciations of the 
enemies of Judah. 

Micah 

This prophet was associated with Isaiah. He was a 



THE EARLIER PREEXILIC PROPHETS 75 

somewhat younger man and was born in the country, 
while Isaiah came from the city. His message was 
chiefly directed against the social shortcomings of 
Israel and Judah. His experiences as a peasant had 
embittered him against the rich and powerful, whom he 
represents as skinning and eating the poor — language 
which is not entirely unfamiliar at the present day. He 
has a clear vision of the future, the best illustration of 
which is, perhaps, his reference to Bethlehem (5. 2). 
A noteworthy passage frequently quoted is found in 
4. 4. 

A part of 6. 8 is said to have been Theodore Roose- 
velt's favorite passage: "What doth the Lord require 
of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk 
humbly with thy God?" 



CHAPTER IX 
THE LATER PREEXILIC PROPHETS 

Zephaniah 

After Micah no prophetic voice was heard for about 
seventy-five years. During the reign of Manasseh — 
about 698-643 — there was a period of open persecution 
of the worshipers of Jehovah. This situation contin- 
ued during the reigns of Amon and Josiah. Zephaniah 
appeared about 625. He was a prince of royal blood 
and probably a companion of Jeremiah. He predicts 
a "day of Jehovah" in which Israel and all other na- 
tions shall be tried by fires of purification. At the 
conclusion of his message there is a strong note of en- 
couragement for Zion, and a clear vision of restoration 
to prosperity. In 1. 15 he refers to a "day of wrath, a 
day ..." upon which was based Celano's famous 
hymn, "Dies irae" 

Nahum 

This prophet has left us a short book of three chap- 
ters devoted almost exclusively to the fall of the As- 
syrian capital, Nineveh. In the first chapter he con- 
trasts God's goodness to his own people with his wrath 
against his enemies. Note verse 7. 

Habakkuk 

This book Las a high literary value, reminding one 
strikingly of Job in certain passages. He discusses the 
age-long question of the prosperous state of the wicked, 
and comes to the conclusion that time alone will adjust 
matters satisfactorily (2. 3). Chapter 3 may be com- 
pared with Job 41. A beautiful passage frequently 
used in ritualistic services is found in 2. 20. 

76 



THE LATEE PREEXILIC PROPHETS 77 

Jeremiah 

The story of Jeremiah as written down in his 
prophecy is most interesting. It is too long to be out- 
lined here, but the student should read enough of it 
to get the style and become familiar with the principal 
events. He was, perhaps, confronted with more diffi- 
cult problems than any other of the prophets. He was 
ardently patriotic, but his clear vision convinced him 
that a policy of nonresistance to Babylon was the only 
proper one. Although of aristocratic family, he was 
not above the employment of many curious methods of 
popular appeal. The first part of chapter 5 reminds 
us somewhat of the methods of Diogenes. Note his 
fiery denunciations of Judah and his frequent diffi- 
culties with the rulers. It is scarcely to be wondered 
that he has become the synonym of pessimism. Note 
the various types employed beginning with chapter 13. 
His troubles with the rulers culminate with the com- 
ing of the Babylonians, when Zedekiah asks him to 
pray for deliverance. Jeremiah shows his real patriot- 
ism by his assistance to his people when vanquished. 

There are but few passages in Jeremiah which are 
of pronounced literary value. The following are note- 
worthy: 6. 14; 8. 22; 13. 23; 31. 15. 



CHAPTER X 
THE PROPHETS OF THE EXILE 

EZEKIEL 

The deportation of the two tribes into Babylon was 
a unique experience in their history. They were not 
treated as slaves as in the days of Egyptian bondage, 
but were given tracts of fertile land and opportunity 
for economic development. The Jews, however, were 
poorly equipped for a life of this kind. In so far as 
they had adhered to the true God they had come to 
associate religious worship with the city of Jerusa- 
lem, and their failure to adjust themselves to their new 
conditions was voiced in the pathetic Psalm, "How can 
we sing the songs of Zion in a strange land?" 

Among the exiles was the prophet Ezekiel, who gave 
intermittent messages to the people for more than 
twenty years. His writings consist of visions, para- 
bles, and glimpses of a universal acknowledgment of 
the supremacy of Jehovah. The book makes but little 
contribution to literature, and has but one frequently 
quoted proverbial passage (18. 2). Read chapters 33 
and 38 as specimens of his best style. 

The Second Isaiah 

It is the opinion of most modern biblical scholars 
that the portion of the book of Isaiah beginning with 
chapter 40 was not written by the author of the first 
thirty-nine chapters. It is thought that the second 
Isaiah may have been a captive in Babylon during the 
latter part of the exile. There are certain indications 
that several writers were concerned with this work. 
Although written at a later period, it supplements ad- 
mirably the vision of the first Isaiah. 

78 



THE PROPHETS OF THE EXILE 79 

Some of the finest literary passages in the Bible are 
to be found here. 

Eead carefully chapters 40, 42, 43, 52, 53, 55, 61. 
Note the large number of passages in frequent use by 
modern writers. 



CHAPTER XI 
THE PERIOD OF RESTORATION 

Haggai 

Babylon was taken by Cyrus, king of the Medes and 
Persians, in B. C. 538. As a matter of policy in deal- 
ing with a disaffected people he permitted a large num- 
ber of Jews (forty-two thousand according to Ezra) to 
return to Jerusalem and restore the temple. The Sa- 
maritans, who came from the northern kingdom, re- 
quested to be allowed to join this expedition, but were 
refused through tribal jealousy. The story of their 
efforts to hinder the work of restoration is related in 
Ezra and Nehemiah. 

During this period a number of the "minor prophets" 
appeared with messages of encouragement. 

Haggai and Zechariah appear to have been closely 
associated. The message of Haggai was chiefly one of 
reproach for the delay in building the temple, and en- 
couragement for the future when it should be com- 
pletely restored. There are no passages of especial 
literary merit in the book. 

Zechariah 

This prophet makes use of the methods of types and 
figures employed by his predecessors. His vision ex- 
tends beyond the immediate restoration of the temple 
to a time when true worship of Jehovah shall be set 
up in Jerusalem. Many of the passages are of high 
order, and the conclusion is most excellent. Note the 
selected passages (chapter 1). 

Obadiah 
This prophecy is contained in one short book of 

80 



THE PERIOD OF RESTORATION 81 

twenty-one verses. Its chief burden is the destruction 
of the Edomites for the wrong they have done the 
Jews at various times. Little is known concerning the 
writer, and the book possesses little literary impor- 
tance. 

Malachi 

This prophet lived some time after Haggai and 
Zechariah, a time when the enthusiasm due to the re- 
turn from exile had considerably abated. The name is 
an impersonal one indicating "my messenger." The 
message comprises a harsh criticism of Israel for their 
neglect of Jehovah, of the priests for their immorality, 
and the better classes for falling in with the current 
corruption (2. 12). Chapters 3 and 4 are character- 
ized by religious fervor, and they should be carefully 
read. 

Joel 

The date of this prophecy has been the subject of 
much controversy. By some it has been placed at an 
early date; others make it contemporaneous with 
Malachi. The book deals with general judgments upon 
sin rather than denunciation of any particular people. 
The author makes frequent quotations from earlier 
prophets, and the style is characterized by considerable 
vigor. The book should be read with these comments 
in mind. 

Jonah 

This book, as in the case of Joel, gives no definite 
indication of its historical setting. There seems to be 
some reason for placing it among the late books of this 
period. Scholars are divided regarding the message 
of this book. It may be a literal statement of actual 
occurrences; it may be allegorical; it may be a satire 
upon the narrowness of the Jewish conception of re- 
ligion — an anticipation of Peter's vision of the unclean 
beasts. The reader should familiarize himself with 



82 THE ENGLISH BIBLE 

the story, but care should be exercised to avoid placing 
emphasis upon an interesting detail to the neglect of 
the meaning of the message. 

Daniel 

Although Daniel was a prophet it is not quite correct 
to classify this book with either the major or the minor 
prophets, but it seems to stand by itself as the Old 
Testament apocalypse. It is thought to have been writ- 
ten in the time of Antiochus IV, who ruled in the 
second century B. C. 

The following is an outline of the narratives which 
should be studied: 

1. Daniel and his friends refuse to eat the king's por- 

tion. 1 

2. Daniel interprets Nebuchadnezzar's forgotten 

dream. 2 

3. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego refuse to wor- 

ship the golden image, and are thrown into a 
fiery furnace. They are miraculously delivered. 3 

4. Belshazzar's feast and the handwriting on the 

wall. 5 

5. Daniel is made first president of the kingdom. He 

refuses to obey the king's decree and is cast into 
a den of lions. He is unharmed. 6 

The remainder of the book is largely given up to 
visions which are obscure in their meaning and of little 
literary value. 



CHAPTER XII 
THE LETTERS OF PAUL 

Having studied the activities of Saint Paul in the 
book of Acts, we come to the consideration of a series 
of letters addressed in some cases to specific bodies of 
believers and in others to Christian converts in general. 
Saint Paul has achieved distinction as a theologian, as 
a philosopher, and as a man of letters. His writings 
are filled with theological and philosophical problems, 
but they show throughout a distinct literary charm. 

Following the generally accepted chronology, we 
come first to the two letters addressed to the Thessa- 
lonians, written from Corinth. These and several of 
the following letters were written while Paul was a 
traveling evangelist. While preaching at Thessalonica 
Paul had caused a division among the people; and it 
was in part to establish the faith of those who remained 
steadfast that the first epistle was written. Both epis- 
tles deal with the second coming of Jesus, and some evi- 
dent misconceptions due to the first epistle are 
corrected in the second. 

The following brief outline should be studied : Paul 
leaves Athens for Corinth, where he works at his trade 
as a tent-maker. Timothy comes to Corinth after a 
visit to Thessalonica, and his report of the condition 
of the churches leads Paul to write these two letters. 
After the customary salutation, note in the first letter 
Paul's warning against sensuality (4), remarks on the 
state of the Christian dead (4), remarks on Christ's 
second coming (5). 

The second epistle covers much the same ground as 
the first. Chapter 2 should be noted, for further dis- 
cussion of Christ's coming. 

83 



84 THE ENGLISH BIBLE 

The book of Acts supplies us with considerable in- 
formation regarding Saint Paul's stay at Ephesus. He 
pays a short visit to Corinth, and upon his return to 
Ephesus writes four letters to the Corinthians, only 
two of which have come down to us. In his first letter 
after an introductory message he rebukes the spirit of 
sectarianism (1-3), outlines the method of procedure in 
case of a corrupt brother (6), writes concerning mar- 
riage and divorce (7), on meat offered to idols (8), 
concerning the status of women in the church (11 and 
14), the supremacy of love (13), and doctrine of the 
resurrection (15). 

In his second letter Paul defends himself from 
various charges (1-3), vindicates his claim to be an 
apostle (11-12), gives some general advice on church 
affairs, and closes with the apostolic benediction. 

Saint Paul now journeys from Ephesus to Corinth. 
Here he learns that the converts in Galatia have fallen 
under the influence of Judaizing sects. Not only had 
they become a prey to false doctrines, but they had 
come to discredit the apostle, against whom many se- 
rious charges had been preferred. His Epistle to the 
Galatians is made up of a personal defense (1-2), a 
somewhat technical discussion of the relation of faith 
to works, and the application of the Jewish law (2-5), 
and practical direction for proper living (5-6). The 
Epistle to the Romans was written from Corinth. Paul 
had not yet visited Eome, but he felt a lively interest 
in the converts of the great capital city. From a liter- 
ary point of view this is regarded as the apostle's mas- 
terpiece. No outline is presented here, but it should 
be studied as a piece of theological literature which 
has for its central theme the method of redemption by 
Jesus Christ. The student should note the absence of 
the personal element which runs through the letters 
previously studied. 

Paul's next epistles were written while a prisoner 



THE LETTERS OF PAUL 85 

in Rome (Acts 28. 30). The first of these was a short 
personal letter to Philemon, a Christian convert, in 
which he urges that Onesimus, a runaway slave who 
had become a Christian at Rome, should be received by 
his master in the spirit of Christian forbearance. 

The letter to the Colossians was written with a pur- 
pose similar to that of the earlier epistles — to correct 
abuses which had come in from outside influences. In 
this case it was necessary to controvert the Gnostic 
conception of God as too remote from the world to have 
any close connection with it. The arguments used are 
somewhat mystical, and the letter reaches a high de- 
gree of spirituality. 

The Epistle to the Ephesians has given rise to con- 
siderable discussion regarding the Christian commun- 
ity to whom it was addressed. Saint Paul spent much 
of his time at Ephesus and one would expect more ex- 
tended personal salutations if the letter was addressed 
to intimate friends. It appears like a pastoral letter, 
designed to be sent to several of the churches to which 
Paul had ministered. It is made up largely of doc- 
trinal passages. 

The letter to the Philippians is in contrast with most 
of Paul's letters, inasmuch as it finds much to commend 
and little to condemn. Note the personal advice given 
in chapter 2, and the warnings against false doctrines 
in chapter 3. 

Paul's last letters are personal ones addressed to 
two of his younger disciples, Timothy and Titus. Many 
critics are of the opinion that these letters were 
not written by Paul. They do not possess a high lit- 
erary value but contain a variety of instructions re- 
lating to church government, the care of the poor, the 
status of women, and the duties of the various church 
officials. Note the famous passage in 2 Tim. 4. 7. 



CHAPTER XIII 
OTHER NEW TESTAMENT LETTERS 

The Epistle to the Hebrews is one of the most stately 
pieces of writing in the New Testament. Its author- 
ship is uncertain, but it is frequently attributed to 
Saint Paul. It is a strong appeal to Jewish converts 
to take the life and teachings of Jesus as the culmina- 
tion of the Jewish order. The superiority of Jesus is 
shown to the prophets, to angels, and to Moses and 
Aaron. The rollcall of the heroes of the faith is most 
impressive and should be read aloud by the student. 
The book of Hebrews contains but few passages com- 
monly quoted in modern literature, but the expression 
"a cloud of witnesses" (12. 1) would take high rank 
in this regard. 

The Epistle of James reminds us somewhat of the 
Wisdom Literature of the Old Testament. The great 
problem of the purpose of affliction discussed in Job 
is attacked here. The severe strictures made upon the 
rich are frequently used as texts by reformers with 
strong socialistic tendencies. The writer emphasizes 
the importance of good works in the scheme of salva- 
tion. It contains no passages of especial literary sig- 
nificance. 

The two Epistles of Peter have very little in common 
either in content or literary style. The first letter has 
a certain resemblance to the letters of Paul, and the 
second seems to have been written very late, modeled 
upon the general style of Jude. The theme of both 
Second Peter and Jude relates chiefly to the treatment 
which should be accorded to apostles. Attention is 
called to the fact that in earlier periods of Israelitish 

86 



OTHER NEW TESTAMENT LETTERS 87 

history there were found many who were unfaithful 
and who merited destruction. The three Epistles of 
John are addressed to Christians in general, to a cer- 
tain elect lady, and to Gaius. They all reach a high 
plane of spirituality. The first letter extols love as the 
chief virtue and exhorts the early Christian to sinless 
living. The second letter contains a warning against 
deceivers, and the third breathes a spirit of optimism 
with reference to the condition of the church. 

The book of Revelation would not be properly classi- 
fied as a book of letters, although the first part is de- 
voted to messages to the various churches in Asia. The 
major part of the book is apocalyptic in form, and is 
said to be one of several written about this time for the 
comfort of the early Christians in their persecutions. 
It contains a series of pictures difficult of interpreta- 
tion, which portrays the destruction of the forces of evil 
and the final triumph of the good. Throughout there 
runs the constant purpose to exalt Jesus Christ. 



CHAPTER XIV 
THE BIBLE IN POETRY 

In this chapter a number of biblical references have 
been selected from the major poets. The list is by no 
means complete and it should be the pleasant task of 
the student to extend it whenever he comes across an 
appropriate reference in his future reading. If the 
poem from which the selection is made is a familiar 
one, the student should note down the setting of the 
passage in the poem and in the Bible. If it is un- 
familiar, the passage will take on a new meaning when 
the poem comes to be read. 

In most cases the Scripture reference is indicated ; in 
connection with some of the poems the student is ex- 
pected to find the appropriate passages. 

Ccedmon's Hymn, A. D. 670 

This is the most ancient specimen of English which 
has come down to us. 

Now we shall glorify heaven — Kingdom's Warden. 

Creator's might and his mood-thought 

Work of the Glory-Father; as he of wonders of each 

Eternal Lord, the beginning established. 

He erst shaped of men for the children 

Heaven to roof, holy Shaper. 

Then Midgard, mankind's Warden, 

Eternal Lord, after prepared, 

For men the earth, Lord almighty. 

Note reference to the Kingdom of heaven and the 
children of men. 

88 



THE BIBLE IN POETRY 89 

Geoffrey Chaucer 

The Canterbury Tales 

These tales contain many references to the Bible and 
biblical characters, but only a limited number of direct 
quotations. Some of the more obvious of these follow. 

The Milleres Tale 

The sorwe of Noe with his felaschipe, 
That he hadde or he gat his wyf to schipe? 

— Gen. 7. 7. 

The Prologe of the Wyf of Bathe 

And therwithal he knew mo proverbes 
Than in this world ther growen gres or herbes. 

— Prov. 21. 9, 19, and 11. 22. 

The Freres Tale 

And right as Judas hadde purses smale 
And was a theef. 

—John 12. 6. 

The Marchaundes Tale 

Love wel thy wyf, as Crist loveth his chirche. 

— Eph. 5. 25, 28, 29. 

The Pardoneres Tale 

Thapostil wepyng saith ful pitously. 

—Phil. 3. 18, 19. 

The Tale of Melibeus 

For the book saith, that in olde men is the sapience, 
and in longe tyme the prudence. 

—Job 32. 9. 



90 THE ENGLISH BIBLE 

Adam 

Lo Adam, in the feld of Damassene. 

—Gen. 2. 7. 

Samson 

The whole story is taken directly from Judges. 

De rege Nabugodonosor 
Taken from Daniel. 

Balthazar 
Taken from Daniel. 

Shakespeare 

It hath the primal eldest curse upon it, a brother's 
murder. 

—Hamlet: III, iii, 37. Gen. 4. 8. The king, re- 
ferring to his brother's murder. 

O, Jephthah, judge of Israel, what a treasure hadst 
thou! 

—Hamlet : II, ii, 422. Judg. 11. 34. Hamlet in dis- 
course with Polonius. 

A Daniel come to judgment. 

—Merchant of Venice: IV, i, 223. History of Su- 
sanna, line 46. Daniel is called to judge the case of 
Susanna. 

When Jacob grazed his Uncle Laban's sheep. 
—Merchant of Venice: I, iii, 72. Gen. 30. 31. Shy- 
lock bargaining with Antonio. 

The devil can cite scripture for his purpose. 
— Merchant of Venice: I, iii, 98. Matt. 4. 6. An- 
tonio commenting upon Shylock's speech. 



THE BIBLE IN POETRY 91 

By Jacob's staff I swear. 

—Merchant of Venice: II, v, 36. Gen. 32. 10. Shy- 
lock to Jessica. 

Which blood like sacrificing Abel's cries 
Even from the tongueless caverns of the earth. 

—King Richard II : I, i, 104. Gen. 4. 10. 

Tho' some of you with Pilate wash your hands. 
—King Richard II : IV, i, 239. Matt. 27. 24. King 
Richard to the lords who demand his resignation. 

I kissed thee, ere I killed thee. 

—Othello : V, ii, 358. Matt. 26. 49 ; 2 Sam. 20. 9-10. 
Said by Othello after he had killed Desdemona. 

Who can call him his friend that dips in the same 
dish? 

— Timon of Athens : III, ii, 72. Matt. 26. 23. 

I charge thee, fling away ambition; by that sin fell 
the angels. 

—Henry VIII : III, ii, 441. Luke 10. 18. Wolsey to 
Cromwell. 

Slanderous as Satan. 

—Merry Wives of Windsor : V, v, 162. Job 1. 9. 

Poor as Job. 

—Merry Wives of Windsor : V, v, 163. Job 1. 21. 

As wicked as his wife. 

— Merry Wives of Windsor : V, v, 164. Job 2. 9. 

— Comments on Falstaff by Page and Ford. 

Goliath with a weaver's beam. 

— Merry Wives of Windsor: V, i, 21. 1 Sam. 17. 7. 
Falstaff boasts his lack of fear. 



92 THE ENGLISH BIBLE 

Life is a shuttle. 

—Merry Wives of Windsor: V, i, 22. Job 7. 6. 
Speech of Falstaff. 

Thou knowest in the state of innocence Adam fell. 
—Henry IV : Part I, III, iii, 185. Gen. 3. 6. Falstaff 
to Prince Hal. 

Dives that lived in purple. 

—Henry IV: Part I, III, iii, 35. Luke 16. 19. Fal- 
staff states that Bardolph makes him think of hell fire 
and Dives. 

As ragged as Lazarus. 

—Henry IV : Part I, IV, ii, 27. Luke 16. 20. Fal- 
staff's description of his soldiers. 

He that doth the ravens feed, yea, providently caters 
for the sparrow. 

—As You Like It: II, iii, 44. Matt. 10. 29; Luke 
12. 24. Adam, servant, to Orlando when he offers him 
money. 

His kisses are Judas's own children. 
—As You Like It: III, iv, 10. Matt. 26. 49. Celia 
to Rosalind referring to Orlando. 

The barbarous Scythian. 

— King Lear: I, i, 118. Col. 3. 11. Lear expresses 
the measure of his affection for Cordelia. 

He that parts us shall bring a brand from heaven, 
And fire us hence like foxes. 

— King Lear: V, iii, 22. Judg. 15. 4. Lear's refer- 
ence to parting with Cordelia. 

Or memorize another Golgotha. 
—Macbeth : I, i, 40. Matt. 27. 33. The Sergeant's 
description of a bloody battlefield. 



THE BIBLE IN POETRY 93 

Not till God make man of some other metal than 
earth. 

—Much Ado About Nothing: II, i, 64. Gen. 2. 7. 
Beatrice referring to her antipathy to marriage. 

As thus: 

"Come, little ones." 
And then again: 

"It is as hard to come as for a camel 
To thread the postern of a small needle's eye." 
—Richard II: V, v, 17. Luke 18. 16; Matt. 19. 24. 
Richard referring to a diversity of thoughts. 

John Milton 

There are no long poems based more directly upon 
Biblical narratives than "Paradise Lost," "Paradise 
Regained," and "Samson Agonistes." In the list of 
special topics written down for those who wish to carry 
their study of the English Bible further than the lines 
indicated in this book, it is suggested that those por- 
tions of "Paradise Lost" and "Paradise Regained" 
which are extra-biblical be separated from those based 
directly upon the Bible. 

The passages which have been selected for study are 
the more obvious quotations from the Bible, especial 
reference being had to their literary form. In making 
the selections the notes made by various critics have 
been freely followed. 

Paradise Lost 

BOOK I 

Siloa's brook that flow'd fast by the oracle of God. 

— Isa. 8. 6. 

Dovelike sat'st brooding on the vast abyss. 

—Gen. 1. 2. 



94 THE ENGLISH BIBLE 

And justify the ways of God to men. 



-Rom. 3. 4. 



He trusted to have equaled the Most High. 

— Isa. 14. 13. 
With floods and whirlwinds of tempestuous fire. 

— Psa. 11. 6. 

Though of their names in heavenly records now be no 
memorial. 

—Psa. 9. 5, 6; Rev. 3. 5. 

By falsities and lies. 

—Rom. 1. 22. 

The invisible glory of him that made them to transform. 

—Rom. 1. 23. 

Devils to adore for deities. 

—Lev. 17. 7; Psa. 106.37. 

The wisest heart of Solomon he led by fraud to build 
his temple. 

—1 Kings 11. 7. 

The pleasant valley of Hinnom, 
Tophet thence and black Gehenna calPd. 

— Jer. 7. 31. 

By that uxorious king, whose heart, though large. 

—1 Kings 4. 29. 

Whose wanton passions in the sacred porch Ezekiel 
saw. 

— Ezek. 8. 12. 

Dagon his name ; sea monster, upward man and down- 
ward fish. 

— 1 Sam. 5. 4. 



THE BIBLE IN POETRY 95 

God's altar to disparage. 

—2 Kings 16. 10; 2 Chron. 28. 23. 

Jehovah, who in one night, when he passed from Egypt 
— Exod. 12. 12; Num. 33. 3, 4. 

Yet confess'd later than heaven and earth their boasted 
parents. 

— Dent 32. 17. 

And now his heart distends with pride, and, hardening 
in his strength. 

—Dan. 5. 20. 

Mammon, the least erected spirit that fell from heaven. 

—Matt. 6. 24. 

BOOK II 

What, if the breath, that kindled those grim fires, 
awaked ? 

— Isa. 30. 33. 

How oft amidst thick clouds and dark. 

— Psa. 18. 11, 13; 97. 2; 1 Kings 8. 12. 

The parching air burns frore. 

— Eccl. 42. 20, 21. 

His dark pavilion spread wide on the wasteful deep. 

—Psa. 18. 11. 

BOOK III 

Since God is light. 

—1 John 1. 5; 1 Tim. 6. 16. 

In him all his Father shone substantially express'd. 

— Heb. 1. 3. 



96 THE ENGLISH BIBLE 

That be far from thee, Father, who art judge of all 
things made. 

—Gen. 18. 25. 

As in him perish all men, so in thee, as from a second 
root, shall be restored. 

—1 Cor. 15. 22. 

Hither of ill-join'd sons, and daughters born. 

—Gen. 6. 4. 

The same whom John saw also in the sun. 

— Kev. 19. 17. 

BOOK IV 

And on the Tree of Life, the middle tree and highest. 

—Gen. 2. 9; Kev. 2. 7. 

Where thou art weigh'd, and shown how light, how 
weak, if thou resist. 

—Dan. 5. 27. 

BOOK V 

Hear my decree, which unrevoked shall stand: This 
day I have begot whom I declare my only Son, and 
on this holy hill him have anointed, whom ye now 
behold at my right hand ; your head I him appoint ; 
and by myself have sworn to him shall bow all 
knees in heaven, and shall confess him Lord. 
— Psa. 2. 6, 7; Gen. 22. 16; Phil. 2. 10, 11; Heb. 1. 5. 

All but the unsleeping eyes of God. 

—Psa. 121. 4. 

By living streams among the trees of life. 

—Rev. 7. 17. 



THE BIBLE IN POETRY 97 

The third part of heaven's host. 

—Rev. 12. 3, 4. 

How spread among the sons of morn. 

— Isa. 14. 12. 

The mountain of the Congregation. 

—Isa. 14. 13. 

Shalt thou give law to God? 

—Rom. 9. 20. 

By whom as by his word, the mighty Father made all 
things. 

—Col. 1. 16, 17. 

But hasten to appease the incensed Father and the in- 
censed Son, while pardon may be found. 

—Isa. 4. 6. 

Who saw when this creation was? Remember'st thou 
thy making, while the Maker gave thee being? 

—Job 38. 4. 

Our own right hand shall teach us highest deeds. 

— Psa. 45. 4. 

As the sound of waters deep. 

—Rev. 19. 6. 

Yet not for thy advice or threats I fly these wicked 
tents devoted. 

—Num. 16. 26. 

BOOK VI 

Light as the lightning glimpse they ran. 

— Ezek. 1. 14. 



98 



THE ENGLISH BIBLE 



Thou always seek'st to glorify thy Son. 

—John 17. 4, 5. 

Thou shalt be all in all, and I in thee forever. 

—1 Cor. 15. 24, 28; John 17. 21, 23. 

To chains of darkness, and the undying worm. 

—2 Pet. 2. 4; Mark 9. 44. 

Forth rushed with whirlwind sound the chariot of 
paternal Deity. 

— Ezek. 1.4; Isa. 66. 15. 

Wheel within wheel undrawn. 

—Ezek. 1. 5, 16, 19, 20. 



Four faces each had wondrous. 



—Ezek. 1. 6. 



Attended with ten thousand thousand saints. 

— Jude 14; Psa. 68. 17; Rev. 7. 4. 

He on the wings of cherub rode sublime. 

—Psa. 18. 10. 

Aloft by angels borne, his sign in heaven. 

—Matt. 24. 50. 

At his command the uprooted hills retired each to his 
place; they heard his voice and went obsequious. 

— Hab. 3. 6. 

Stand still in bright array, ye saints. 

— Exod. 14. 13, 14. 



Vengeance is his. 



— Deut. 32. 35; Rom. 12. 19. 



THE BIBLE IN POETRY 99 



That wish'd the mountains now might be again thrown 
on them. 

—Rev. 6. 16. 

Worthiest to reign. 

—Eev. 4. 11. 

Who into glory him received, 

Where now he sits at the right hand of bliss. 

— ITim. 3. 16; Heb. 1.3. 

Warn thy weaker. 

—1 Pet. 3. 7. 

BOOK VII 

Nor let thine own inventions hope things not reveal'd. 

— Psa. 106. 29. 

Whom their place knows here no more. 

—Job 7. 10. 

Let there be light, said God. 

—Gen. 1. 3. 

When Orient light exhaling first from darkness they 
beheld : Birthday of heaven and earth : with joy and 
shout. 

—Job 38. 4, 7. 

God said, Let there be firmament. 

—Gen. 1. 6. 

Be gather'd now, ye waters, under heaven. 

—Gen. 1. 9; Psa. 104. 6. 

There the eagle and the stork on cliffs and cedar-tops 
their eyries build. 

—Job 39. 27, 28. 



100 THE ENGLISH BIBLE 

Let us make now man in our image, man in our simili- 
tude, and let them rule over the fish and fowl of sea 
and air, beast of the field, and over all the earth and 
every creeping thing that creeps the ground. 

—Gen. 1. 26, 27, 28. 

Open, ye everlasting gates! they sung; open, ye heav- 
ens ! your living doors ; let in the great Creator, from 
his work returned magnificent, his six days' work, 
a world. 

— Psa. 24. 7. 



BOOK VIII 

Inevitably thou shalt die. 



-Gen. 2. 17. 



To attain the height and depth of thy eternal ways 
all human thoughts come short. 



Him, whom to love is to obey. 

BOOK IX 

To the ocean barr'd at Darien. 



— Eom. 11. 33. 
—1 John 5. 3. 

—Job 38. 10. 



The serpent subtlest beast of all the field. 

—Gen. 3. 1. 

We live law to ourselves. 

—Eom. 2. 14. 

Indeed ! hath God then said that of the fruit of all these 
garden-trees ye shall not eat, yet lords declared of 
all in earth or air? 

—Gen. 3. 1. 



THE BIBLE IN POETRY 101 

Ye shall not die. 

—Gen. 3. 4. 

BOOK X 

Which he presumes already vain and void, because not 
yet inflicted. 

— Eccl. 8. 11. 

To thee I have transferred all judgment, whether in 
heaven, or earth, or hell. 

—John 5. 22. 

Now was the sun in western cadence low, from noon. 

—Gen. 3. 8. 

Where art thou, Adam? 

—Gen. 3. 9. 

Say, woman, what is this which thou hast done? 

—Gen. 3. 13. 

Because thou hast done this, thou art accursed above 
all cattle, each beast of the field : upon thy belly grov- 
elling thou shalt go, and dust shalt eat all the days 
of thy life. Between thee and the woman I will put 
enmity and between thine and her seed: her seed- 
shall bruise thy head, thou bruise his heel. 

—Gen. 3. 14. 

Saw Satan fall, like lightning, down from heaven. 

—Luke 10. 18; Eph. 2. 2; Col. 2. 15; Psa. 68. 18; Eph. 
4. 8 ; Kom. 16. 20. 

He clad their nakedness with skins of beasts. 

—Gen. 3. 21. 

Did I request thee, Maker, from my clay to mold me 
man? 

— Isa. 14. 9. 



102 THE ENGLISH BIBLE 

BOOK XI 

That sighs now breathed unutterable; which the Spirit 
of prayer inspired. 

—Rom. 8. 26. 

O sons, like one of us man is become, to know both good 
and evil. 

—Gen. 3. 22-24. 

Four faces each had, like a double Janus. 

— Ezek. 10. 14. 

Which I must keep till my appointed day. 

—Job 14. 14. 

And to them preach'd conversion and repentance. 

—1 Pet. 3. 19, 20. 

BOOK XII 

He straight obeys ; not knowing to what land, yet firm 
believes. 

— Heb. 11. 8. 

Over the tent a cloud shall rest by day, a fiery gleam by 
night; save when they journey. 

— Exod. 40. 34. 

And therefore shall not Moses, though of God highly 
beloved, being but the minister of the law, his people 
into Canaan lead. 

— Deut. 34; Josh. 1. 

What will they then but force the Spirit of grace itself, 
and bind his consort Liberty? 

—2 Cor. 3. 17. 



THE BIBLE IN POETRY 103 

Last, in the clouds, from heaven to be reveal'd in glory 
of the Father. 

—Matt. 24. 64; Matt. 16. 27. 

New heavens, new earth. 

—2 Pet. 3. 13. 

Paradise Regained 

BOOK I 

By one man's disobedience lost. 

—Rom. 5. 19. 

Who ledst this glorious eremite into the desert? 

—Matt. 4. 1. 

Roving still about the world. 

—Job 1. 7; 1 Pet. 5. 8. 

So purified, to receive him pure. 

—1 John 3. 3. 

His weakness shall overcome Satanic strength. 

—1 Cor. 1. 27; Psa. 8. 2. 

The law of God I read, and found it sweet, made it my 
whole delight. 

—Psa. 119. 103; Psa. 1.2. 

And of thy kingdom there should be no end. 

—Luke 1. 32, 33. 

Full weight must be transferred upon my head. 

— Isa. 53. 6. 

By which I knew the time now full. 

—Gal. 4. 4. 



104 



THE ENGLISH BIBLE 



Man lives not by bread only, but each word proceeding 
from the mouth of God; who fed our fathers here 
with manna. 

—Matt. 4. 14; Deut. 8. 3. 

And forty days Elijah, without food. 

—1 Kings 19. 8. 

He proposed to draw the proud king Ahab into fraud. 

—1 Kings 22. 19. 

To be a liar in four hundred mouths. 

—1 Kings 22. 6. 

Vouchsafed his voice to Balaam reprobate. 

—Num. 22. 28. 

BOOK II 

The great Thisbite, who on fiery wheels rode up to 
heaven. 

—2 Kings 2. 11. 

But went about his Father's business. 

—Luke 2. 49. 

My heart hath been a storehouse long of things and 
sayings laid up. 

—Luke 2. 19, 51. 



— Psa. 78. 19. 



Command a table in this wilderness. 

BOOK III 

Zeal of thy father's house. 

—Psa. 69. 9; John 2. 17. 

As he who, seeking asses, found $ kingdom. 

— 1 Sam. 9. 20, 21, 



THE BIBLE IN POETRY 105 

When thou stoodst up his tempter. 

—1 Chron. 21. 1. 

BOOK IV 

King of kings, God over all supreme. 

—1 Tim. 6. 15 ; Rom. 9. 5. 

Many books, wise men have said, are wearisome. 

— Eccl. 12. 12. 

Our Hebrew songs and harps, in Babylon. 

— Psa. 137. 1. 

There, on the highest pinnacle, he set the Son of God. 

—Luke 4. 9. 

His snares are broke. 

—Psa. 124. 7. 

In all her gates Abaddon rues thy bold attempt. 

—Matt. 16. 18. 

Yelling they shall fly, and beg to hide them in a herd 
of swine. 

—Matt. 8. 28, 29, 30, 31, 32; Rev. 20. 1, 2, 3. 

Samson Agonistes 

Having made a study of Milton's use of the Bible 
in his longer poems the student should now read Sam- 
son Agonistes. He should verify the quotations and 
allusions as he meets them, and finally write down in 
essay form the parts of the poem which are not based 
upon the narrative in Judges. 

See "Topics for Extended Study," Chapter XXIV, 
with reference to Comus and II Penseroso, 



CHAPTER XV 

THE BIBLE IN POETRY— CONTINUED 

Walter Scott 

Lay of the Last Minstrel 

Hymn for the Dead 

That day of wrath, that dreadful day, 
When heaven and earth shall pass away, 
What power shall be the sinner's stay! 
How shall he meet that dreadful day, 
When, shriveling like a parched scroll, 
The flaming heavens together roll; 
When louder yet, and yet more dread, 
Swells the high trump that wakes the dead! 
O ! on that day, that wrathful day, 
When man to judgment wakes from clay, 
Be thou the trembling sinner's stay, 
Though heaven and earth shall pass away. 

— Zeph. 1. 15, 16. 

Marmion XXIII 

On hills of Armenie hath been, 
Where Noah's ark may yet be seen; 
By that Red Sea, too, hath he trod, 
Which parted at the prophet's rod ; 
In Sinai's wilderness he saw 
The Mount, where Israel heard the law, 
'Mid thunder-dint, and flashing levin, 
And shadows, mists, and darkness given. 

Read the "Hymn to the Virgin," in The Lady of the 
Lake. 

106 



THE BIBLE IN POETRY 107 

Lord Byron 
The Destruction of Sennacherib 



The Assyrian came down like the wolf on the fold, 
And his cohorts were gleaming in purple and gold ; 
And the sheen of their spears was like stars on the sea, 
When the blue wave rolls nightly on deep Galilee. 

II 

Like the leaves of the forest when summer is green, 
That host with their banners at sunset were seen : 
Like the leaves of the forest when autumn hath blown, 
That host on the morrow lay withered and strown. 



Ill 

For the Angel of Death spread his wings on the blast, 
And breathed in the face of the foe as he passed ; 
And the eyes of the sleepers waxed deadly and chill, 
And their hearts but once heaved, and for ever grew 
still! 

IV 

And there lay the steed with his nostril all wide, 
But through it there rolled not the breath of his pride. 
And the foam of his gasping lay white on the turf, 
And cold as the spray of the rock beating surf. 



And there lay the rider distorted and pale, 
With the dew on his brow, and the rust on his mail. 
And the tents were all silent, the banners alone, 
The lances unlifted, the trumpet unblown. 



108 THE ENGLISH BIBLE 

VI 

And the widows of Ashur are loud in their wail, 
And the idols are broke in the temple of Baal; 
And the might of the Gentile, unsmote by the sword, 
Hath melted like snow in the glance of the Lord! 

A Spirit Passed Before Me 
From "Job" 



A spirit passed before me: I beheld 

The face of immortality unveiled — 

Deep sleep came down on every eye save mine — 

And there it stood, all formless — but divine: 

Along my bones the creeping flesh did quake; 

And as my damp hair stiffened, thus it spake : 

II 

"Is man more just than God? Is man more pure 
Than He who deems even Seraphs insecure? 
Creatures of clay — vain dwellers in the dust ! 
The moth survives you, and are ye more just? 
Things of a day ! you wither ere the night, 
Heedless and blind to Wisdom's wasted light!" 

Bobert Burns 

As might be expected, Burns used the Bible some- 
what playfully at times, although he can hardly be 
charged with irreverence. In "The Cotter's Saturday 
Night" his references are most impressive. 

Scotch Drink 

Give him strong drink, until he wink, 

That's sinking in despair; 
An' liquor guid to fire his bluid, 

That's prest wi' grief an' care; 



THE BIBLE IN POETRY 109 

There let him bouse, an' deep carouse 

Wi' bumpers flowing o'er, 
Till he forgets his loves or debts, 

An' minds his griefs no more. 

— Prov. 31. 6, 7. 

Address to the Deil 

Lang syne, in Eden's bonnie yard, 
When youthfu' lovers first were pair'd, 
An' all the soul of love they shar'd, 

The raptur'd hour, 
Sweet on the fragrant, flow'ry swaird, 

In shady bow'r: 
Then you, ye auld, snec-drawing dog! 
Ye came to Paradise incog, 
An' play'd on man a cursed brogue, 

(Black be you fa!) 
An' gied the infant warld a shog, 

'Maist ruin'd a'. 
D'ye mind that day, when in a bizz, 
Wi' reekit duds, an' reestit gizz 
Ye did present your smoutie phiz 

'Mang better folk, 
'An sklented on the man of Uzz 

Your spitefu' joke? 
An' how ye gat him i' your thrall 
An' brak him out o' house an' hal', 
While scabs an' blotches did him gall, 

Wi' bitter claw, 
An' lows'd his ill-tongu'd, wicked Scawl, 
Wast warst ava? 

The Cotter's Saturday Night 
They never sought in vain that sought the Lord aright! 



110 THE ENGLISH BIBLE 

The priest-like father reads the sacred page, 
How Abram was the friend of God on high; 
Or Moses bade eternal warfare wage 
With Amalek's ungracious progeny; 
Or how the royal Bard did groaning lie 
Beneath the stroke of Heaven's avenging ire ; 
Or Job's pathetic plaint, and wailing cry ; 
Or rapt Isaiah's wild, seraphic fire ; 
Or other holy seers that tune the sacred lyre. 

Eobert Browning 

The complete study of the use of the Bible made by 
Robert Browning would fill a volume. Indeed, this has 
already been done. Miss Minnie Gresham Machen has 
published a book of two hundred and ninety pages 
with the title "The Bible in Browning." In this book 
an especial study is made of the scripture references in 
"The Ring and the Book," in which the author has 
found over six hundred passages. Our purpose will 
be served by carrying out the following suggestions : 

1. Read "Saul" and note the parts which are based 

directly on the narrative ; and the parts which the 
poet has introduced. 

2. "A Death in the Desert." This is not nearly so fine a 

poem as "Saul," but it is based upon the last days 
of one of the prominent New Testament charac- 
ters. It should be studied in a similar manner to 
No. 1. 

3. "Rabbi Ben Ezra." This poem is not based upon 

the Bible, nor does it contain many scriptural 
references. It is, however, most lofty in senti- 
ment and filled with the spirit of the New Testa- 
ment. Stanzas 26 and 32 contain obvious al- 
lusions to the Bible. 

4. "Soliloquy of the Spanish Cloister." This is one of 
• Browning's obscure short poems. It is a master- 



THE BIBLE IN POETRY 111 

piece of character portrayal. By means of a 
monologue an ill-tempered monk gives us a picture 
of a brother monk of most admirable character, 
and incidentally of himself. Study the poem 
which follows and select the passages which come 
directly from the Bible or indirectly from some 
custom or theological viewpoint based upon the 
Bible. 

Soliloquy of the Spanish Cloister 



Gr-r-r — there go, my heart's abhorrence! 

Water your damned flower-pots, do ! 
If hate killed men, Brother Lawrence, 

God's blood, would not mine kill you! 
What? your myrtle-bush wants trimming? 

Oh, that rose has prior claims — 
Needs its leaden vase filled brimming? 

Hell dry you up with its flames ! 

II 

At the meal we sit together: 

Salve tibi! I must hear 
Wise talk of the kind of weather, 

Sort of season, time of year: 
Not a plenteous cork-crop: scarcely 

Dare we hope oak-galls, I doubt: 
What's the Latin name for "parsley"? 

What's the Greek name for Swine's Snout? 

Ill 

Whew! We'll have our platter burnished, 
Laid with care on our own shelf ! 

With a fire-new spoon we're furnished, 
And a goblet for ourself, 



112 THE ENGLISH BIBLE 

Rinsed like something sacrificial 
Ere 'tis fit to touch our chaps — 

Marked with L. for our initial! 
(He-he! There his lily snaps!) 

IV 

Saint, forsooth ! While brown Dolores 

Squats outside the Convent bank 
With Sanchicha, telling stories, 

Steeping tresses in the tank, 
Blue-black, lustrous, thick like horse-hairs, 

— Can't I see his dead eye glow, 
Bright as 'twere a Barbary corsair's? 

(That is, if he'd let it show!) 



When he finishes refection, 

Knife and fork he never lays 
Cross-wise, to nay recollection, 

As do I, in Jesu's praise. 
I the Trinity illustrate, 

Drinking watered orange-pulp — 
In three sips the Arian frustrate; 

While he drains his at one gulp. 

VI 

Oh, those melons ! If he's able 

We're to have a feast ! so nice ! 
One goes to the Abbot's table, 

All of us get each a slice. 
How go on your flowers? None double? 

Not one fruit-sort can you spy? 
Strange! — And I, too, at such trouble 

Keep them close-nipped on the sly! 



THE BIBLE IN POETRY 113 

VII 

There's a great text in Galatians, 

Once you trip on it, entails 
Twenty-nine distinct damnations, 

One sure, if another fails: 
If I trip him just a-dying, 

Sure of heaven as sure can be, 
Spin him round and send him flying 

Off to hell, a Manichee? 

VIII 

Or, my scrofulous French novel 

On gray paper with blunt type! 
Simply glance at it, you grovel 

Hand and foot in Belial's gripe: 
If I double down its pages 

At the woful sixteenth print, 
When he gathers his greengages, 

Ope a sieve and slip it in't? 

IX 

Or, there's Satan ! — one might venture 

Pledge one's soul to him, yet leave 
Such a flaw in the indenture 

As he'd miss till, past retrieve, 
Blasted lay that rose-acacia 

We're so proud of! Hy, Zy, Hine. . . . 
'St. there's Vespers! Plena gratia 

Ave, Virgo! Gr-r-r — you swine! 

The study should identify various Scripture pas- 
sages from Browning's short poems. In the con- 
clusion of "By the Fireside" there are five lines 
which contain three Scripture references, woven 
together most artistically. Find the passage in 



114 THE ENGLISH BIBLE 

"Pippa Passes" where Luigi quotes directly from 
the Bible. Find the passage in "One Word More" 
which refers to the vision of God as seen by Moses, 
Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu. 

6. The titles of some of Browning's poems will make 

an interesting study. Find the significance of 
"Bells and Pomegranates," "Pisgah-Sights," "Be- 
phan," "Cleon," and "Caliban Upon Setebos." 

7. For those who have the time and inclination for a 

further study of Browning's use of the Bible there 
can be no better help than Miss Machen's book, to 
which reference has been made. 

Elizabeth Barrett Browning 
The Seraphim 

Tell the story of the poem and show its connection 
with the biblical narrative. 
Line 
403. Job 4. 18. 
464. Gen. 4. 15. 
644. Job 25. 6. 
818. Kom. 8. 22. 
835. Matt. 27. 40. 
931. Matt. 27. 46. 

The Poet's Vow 

Part 1, XII. Gen. 1. 10; Gen. 4. 10. 
Part 2, XVI. John 11. 35. 

The Virgin Mary to the Child Jesus 
This contains many scriptural references. 

The Measure 
Find references to Isa. 40. 12 ; Psa. 80. 5. 



THE BIBLE IN POETRY 115 

Aurora Leigh 

Comment on appropriateness of quotations and al- 
lusions. Indicate whether they are direct or indirect. 



Line 


Book 




1 


1 


Eccl. 12. 12 


866 




Rev. 21. 17 


170 


2 


Exod. 15. 20 


413 




Gen. 16. 1 


533 




Matt. 4. 8 


1 


3 


John 21. 18 


1207 




John 13. 25 


1222 




Matt. 26. 7 


481 


4 


Luke 19. 17 


714-716 




Gen. 8. 4 


239 


5 


Gen. 31. 10 


289 




1 Sam. 9. 3 


554 




Gen. 11. 7 


820 




Job 1. 7 


214 


6 


2 Kings 5. 10 


1274 




Mark 16. 3 


805 


7 


Num. 8. 4; Heb. 8. 5 


821 




Exod. 3. 4 


1102 




Luke 16. 24 


1262 




Psa. 147. 9 


646 


8 


John 9. 6 


794 




Num. 22. 32 


252 


9 


Num. 20. 28 


738 




John 12. 29 


813 




Gen. 1. 5 


857 




Psa. 18. 35 


932 




Josh. 6. 5 


956 




2 Pet. 3. 12 


962 




Eev. 21. 19 



116 THE ENGLISH BIBLE 

The following may be assigned as an optional exer- 
cise: 



Line 


Book 




767 


1 


1 Sam. 11. 1 


1141 




Gen. 1. 31 


1145 




Matt. 6. 13 


277 


2 


Luke 16. 20 


190 


3 


Exod. 19. 21 


197 




Exod. 14. 25 


202 




Exod. 15. 20 


468 


4 




730 


5 




1205 




The reader 


1226 




should find 


148 




these ref- 


308 




erences 


350 






773 


8 




778 






811 






1144 







CHAPTER XVI 
THE BIBLE IN POETRY— CONTINUED 

Tennyson 

At the bottom of the page containing Timbuctoo we 
find : "Be ye perfect even as your Father in heaven is 
perfect." 

Note the large number of biblical references in the 
following : 

Aylmer's Field 
Behold, 
Your house is left unto you desolate! 

Gash thyself, priest, and honor thy brute Baal, 
And to thy w T orst self sacrifice thyself, 
For with thy worst self hast thou clothed thy God. 
Then came a Lord in no wise like to Baal. 
The babe shall lead the lion. 

Surely now 
The wilderness shall blossom as the rose. 
Crown thyself, worm, and worship thine own lusts! — 
No coarse and blockish God of acreage 
Stands at thy gate for thee to grovel to — 
Thy God is far diffused in noble groves 
And princely halls, and farms, and flowing lawns, 
And heaps of living Gold that daily grow, 
And title-scrolls and gorgeous heraldries. 
In such a shape dost thou behold thy God. 
Thou wilt not gash thy flesh for him ; for thine 
Fares richly, in fine linen, not a hair 
Ruffled upon the scarfskin, even while 
The deathless ruler of thy dying house 
Is wounded to the death that cannot die ; 

117 



118 THE ENGLISH BIBLE 

And though thou numberest with the followers 
Of One who cried "Leave all and follow me." 
Thee, therefore, with His light about thy feet, 
Thee with His message ringing in thine ears, 
Thee shall thy brother man, the Lord from Heaven, 
Born of a village girl, carpenter's son, 
Wonderful, Prince of peace, the Mighty God, 
Count the more base idolater of the two ; 
Crueller: as not passing thro' the fire 
Bodies, but souls — thy children's — through the smoke, 
The blight of low desires — darkening thine own 
To thine own likeness ; or if one of these, 
Thy better born unhappily from thee, 
Should, as by miracle, grow straight and fair- 
Friends, I was bid to speak of such a one 
By those who most have cause to sorrow for her — 
Fairer than Rachel by the palmy well, 
Fairer than Ruth among the fields of corn, 
Fair as the Angel that said "Hail" she seemed, 
Who entering filled the house with sudden light. 

In Memoriam 

Strong Son of God, immortal Love, 
Whom we, that have not seen thy face, 
By faith, and faith alone, embrace, 

Believing where we cannot prove. 

Thou madest Death ; and lo, thy foot 
Is on the skull which thou hadst made. 

Thy roots are wrapt about the bones. 

Lo, as a dove when up she springs 
To bear thro' Heaven a tale of woe, 
Some dolorous message knit below 

The wild pulsation of her wings. 

Like her I go; I cannot stay; 
I leave this mortal ark behind. 



THE BIBLE IN POETRY 119 

Athwart a plane of molten glass. 

Treasuring the look it cannot find, 
The words that are not heard again. 

There sat the Shadow feared of man. 

If all were good and fair we met, 
This earth had been the Paradise 
It never looked to human eyes 

Since Adam left his garden yet. 

And if that eye which watches guilt 
And goodness, and hath power to see 
Within the green the moldered tree. 

Peace and good-will, to all mankind. 

They do not die 

Nor lose their mortal sympathy, 

Nor change to us, although they change. 

The light that shone when Hope was born. 

When Lazarus left his charnel-cave, 
And home to Mary's house returned, 
Was this demanded — if he yearned 

To hear her weeping by his grave? 

She bathes the Saviour's feet 
With costly spikenard and with tears. 

And so the Word had breath, and wrought 
With human hands the creed of creeds 
In loveliness of perfect deeds. 

How fares it with the happy dead? 
The God within him light his face. 
How pure at heart. 
You tell me, doubt is Devil-born. 



120 THE ENGLISH BIBLE 

And Power was with him in the night. 

As over Sinai's peaks of old, 
While Israel made their gods of gold, 
Although the trumpets blew so loud. 

I felt the thews of Anakim, 
The pulses of a Titan's heart. 

King out the thousand wars of old, 
Eing in the thousand years of peace. 

Who shall fix her pillars? 

Like Paul with beasts, I fought with Death. 

Eise in the spiritual rock. 

And one far-off divine event, 
To which the whole creation moves. 

Enoch Arden 

No graver than as when some little cloud 
Cut off the fiery highway of the sun. 

—1 Kings 18. 44. 

And yet for all your wisdom well know I 
That I shall look upon your face no more. 

—Acts 20. 25. 

Under a palm tree. 
Hosanna in the highest. 
The Sun of Bighteousness. 



— Jud. 4. 5. 
—Matt. 21. 8-15. 
—Mai. 4. 2. 



Spoken with that, which being everywhere, 
Lets none, who speaks with Him seem all alone. 

—John 8. 29. 



THE BIBLE IN POETRY 121 

Cast all your cares on God; that anchor holds. 

—1 Pet. 5. 7. 

Is He not yonder in those uttermost 
Parts of the morning? If I flee to these 
Can I go from Him? And the sea is His, 
The sea is His: He made it. 

— Psa. 139. 9; Psa. 95. 5. 

Locksley Hall 

Than that earth should stand at gaze like Joshua's 
moon in Ajalon! 

—Josh. 10. 12. 

Godiva 

And from a heart as rough as Esau's hand. 

—Gen. 27. 11. 

The Palace of Art 

Compare this poem with Luke 12. 16-21, and make 
biblical references in stanzas 51, 55, 57. 

The Two Voices 

A still small voice spake unto me, 
"Thou art so full of misery, 
Were it not better not to be?" 

What is so wonderfully made. 

Young Nature through five cycles ran, 
And in the sixth she molded man. 

"She gave him mind, the lordliest, 
Proportion, and, above the rest, 
Dominion in the head and breast." 

Calling thyself a little lower 
Than angels. 



122 THE ENGLISH BIBLE 

Bore and forebore, and did not tire, 
Like Stephen, an unquenched fire. 

Though one should smite him on the cheek, 
And on the mouth, he will not speak. 

He may not do the thing he would. 

The Princess 

Not to answer, Madam, all those hard things 
That Sheba came to ask of Solomon. 

Vashti, noble Vashti! Summoned out 

She kept her state, and left the drunken king 
To brawl at Shushan underneath the palms. 

They mind us of the time 
When we made bricks in Egypt. 

Couched behind a Judith, underneath 
The head of Holofernes peeped and saw, 
Girl after girl was called to trial. 

In us true growth, in her a Jonah's gourd. 

1 broke the letter of it to keep the sense. 

Till a clamor grew 

As of a new-world Babel, woman-built. 

Between a cymbaPd Miriam and a Jael. 

Like that great dame of Lapidoth she sang, 
"Our enemies have falPn, have fall'n." 

See how you stand 
Stiff as Lot's wife. 

Maud 

Why do they prate of the blessings of Peace? we have 
made them a curse, 
Pickpockets, each hand lusting for all that is not 
its own; 



THE BIBLE IN POETRY 123 

And lust of gain, in the spirit of Cain, is it better or 
worse, 
Than the heart of the citizen hissing in war on his 
own hearthstone? 

May make my heart as a millstone, set my face as a 

flint, 
Cheat and be cheated, and die: who knows? we are 

ashes and dust. 

Peace sitting under her olive, and slurring the days 
gone by. 

When only not all men lie. 

It will never be broken by Maud, she has neither savor 
nor salt. 

Like the sultan of old in a garden of spice. 

And ah for a man to rise in me, 
That the man I am may cease to be! 

And heaped the whole inherited sin 
On that huge scapegoat of the race, 
All, all upon the brother. 

The gates of Heaven are closed, and she is gone. 

An old song vexes my ear; 
But that of Lamech is mine. 

Courage, poor heart of stone ! 

But I heard it shouted at once from the top of the 
house. 



124 THE ENGLISH BIBLE 

The May Queen— Conclusion 
Find a quotation from Job. 

Idyls of the King 

When the Lord of all things made Himself 
Naked of glory for His vestal change. 

Lady Clara Vere de Vere 

The gardener Adam and his wife 
Smile at the claims of long descent. 

The above selections are sufficient for illustrations of 
the use of the Bible by Tennyson. Those who wish to 
make a more extended study are referred to the work 
of Miss Edna M. Robinson, Johns Hopkins University. 
Her lists of passages follow. 

The Two Voices 
Line 
1, 1 Kings 19. 12 
2f, Job 2. 9 
6, Psalms 139. 14 
16-18, Genesis 1. 26 
20f, Genesis 1. 26 
20f, Psalms 8. 6 
53, Job 14. 20 
198f, Psalms 8. 5 
212, Genesis 2. 8 
219-225, Acts 7. 55 

222, Acts 7. 57f 

223, Acts 6. 15 

224, Acts 7. 60 
229, Genesis 3. 17-19 
239, Ecclesiastes 5. 15 
239, Job 1. 21 

251, Luke 6. 29 



THE BIBLE IN POETRY 125 

256f, Job 14. 21 

264, Psalms 103. 16 

278, Revelation 1. 8 

301-303, Romans 7. 18, 19, 23 

303, Galatians 5. 17 

358-360, Genesis 3 

389, Genesis 6. 14 

395-397, Job 3. 21 

462, Philippians 4. 4 

The Princess 

Prologue 15, Numbers 21. 24 
II, 76, Song of Solomon 4. 12 
II, 123f, Hebrews 11. 9 
II, 173, Acts 20. 29 
II, 174, Numbers 6. 25 
II, 324f, 1 Kings 10. 1 
II, 328, 1 Kings 10. 1 
II, 329, 1 Kings 4. 31 

II, 330f, 1 Kings 10. 4£ 

III, 212-214, Esther 1. 12 
III, 242-244, Proverbs 10. 1 
III, 306, Genesis 1. 3 

III, 309f, 1 Corinthians 13. 12 

IV, 59, 466f, Genesis 11. 9 
IV, 109f, Exodus 1. 14 
IV, 113, Matthew 16. 18 
IV, 122, Exodus 15. 20 

IV, 207f, Apocrypha, Book of Judith 

IV, 292, Jonah 4. 6 

IV, 319, 2 Corinthians 3. 6 

IV, 388, Luke 21. 18 

IV, 484, Acts 7. 59f 

V, 376, 1 Corinthians 5. 6f 
V, 417, Exodus chapters 7-12 
V, 444, Matthew 5. 22 

V, 500, Exodus 15. 20 



126 THE ENGLISH BIBLE 

V, 500, Judges 4 

VI, 16, Judges 5. 1 
VI, 17, Isaiah 21. 9 
VI, 17, Eevelation 18. 2 
VI, 17, Revelation 14. 8 

VI, 224, Genesis 19. 26 

VII, 74, Romans 8. 34 

VII, 188, Song of Solomon 2. 15 
VII, 244, 1 Corinthians 12. 13 
VII, 312, John 9. 6 
VII, 277, Genesis 2. 8 
Conclusion, 115, Nehemiah 9. 6 

In Memoriam 

Proem, 1 Peter 1. 8 

Proem, John 1. 3 

Proem, Psalms 16. 10 

Proem, Romans 8. 24 

Proem, John 1. 5 

Proem, Psalms 143. 2 

Proem, Luke 17. 10 

X, Matthew 26. 27 

XII, Genesis 8. 8, 9 

XV, Job 37. 18 

XV, Revelation 4. 6 

XV, Revelation 15. 2 

XVIII, 2 Kings 4. 34 

XXII and XXIII, Psalms 23. 4 

XXIV, Genesis 3. 23 

XXVI, Mark 11. 13, 20f 

XXVIII, Luke 2. 14 

XXX, 1 Thessalonians 4. 14 

XXX, Luke 2. 9 

XXXI, John 11 

XXXII, John 11. 25 
XXXII, John 12. 3 
XXXVI, John 1. 14 



THE BIBLE IN POETRY 127 

XXXVII, 1 Corinthians 10. 1G 

XLIII, 1 Thessalonians 4. 13, 14 

XLIV, Hebrews 1. 14 ; Matthew 18. 10 

LI I, 1 Peter 2. 22 

LVI, Ecclesiastes 3. 21 

LVI, 1 John 4. 8 

LVI, Hebrews 6. 19 

LXIX, John 19. 5 

LXXVI, Job 38. 7, 9 

LXXXIV, 1 Corinthians 15. 3 

LXXXIV, Isaiah 36. 6 

LXXXVII, 2 Corinthians 6. 16 

LXXXVIII, Genesis 2. 8 

XCV, Isaiah 28. 13 

XCVI, Genesis 32. 24-29 

XCVI, Exodus 32. 1-4 

CIII, Deuteronomy, 2. 10 

CVI, Eevelation 20. 2-4 

CVIII, Eomans 10. 6-8 

CXIV, Proverbs 9. 1 

CXX, 1 Corinthians 15. 32 

CXXIV (compare XCVI), Genesis 32. 29 

CXXXI, 1 Corinthians 10. 4 

CXXXI, 1 John 2. 17 

CXXXI, Isaiah 29. 4 

CXXXI, Mark 16. 20 

CXXXI, 1 Corinthians 3. 9 

CXXXI, Philippians 2. 13 

CXXXI, Genesis 2. 8 

CXXXI, Luke 23. 43 

CXXXI, Isaiah 52. 8 

CXXXI, 1 Corinthians 15. 24, 28 

Maud 

I, i, 21, Malaehi 2. 2 
I, i, 23, 1 John 3. 12 
I, i, 31, Job 41. 24 



128 THE ENGLISH BIBLE 

I, i, 31, Isaiah 50. 7 

I, i, 32, Genesis 3. 19 

I, i, 33, 36, Micah 4. 4 

I, i, 35, Psalms 116. 11 

I, i, 45, Matthew 6. 24 

I, i, 46, Matthew 6. 24 

I, ii, 78, Matthew 5. 13 

I, iv, 143, Song of Solomon 4. 16 

I, iv, 152, 2 Timothy 3. 13 

I, vi, 268, Ezekiel, 11. 19 

I, x, 396f, Ephesians 4. 22, 24 

I, xiii, 485, Leviticus 16. 21 

I, xviii, 610, Bevelation 21. 21 

I, xviii, 613-616, Psalms 104. 16 

I, xviii, 614, Song of Solomon 4. 16 

I, xviii, 625ff, Genesis 2. 8 

I, xviii, 625ff, Genesis 3. 18 

II, i, 8, Genesis 2. 8 

II, i, 34, Genesis 4. 10, 11 
II, ii, 95, 96, Genesis 4. 23 
II, iii, 132, 136, Ezekiel 11. 19 
II, v, 285-288, Luke 12. 3 

Shelley 

Compare the following stanzas from Adonais, the one 
containing references to Greek mythology and the 
other to the Bible. Which makes the stronger appeal? 

Grief made the young spring wild and she threw down 
Her kindling buds, as if she autumn were, 
Or they dead leaves ; since her delight is flown 
For whom should she have waked the sullen year? 
To Phoebus was not Hyacinth so dear. 

Nor to himself Narcissus, as to both 
Thou, Adonais: wan they stand and sere 
Amid the faint companions of their youth 
With dew all turned to tears, odor, to sighing ruth. 



THE BIBLE IN POETRY 129 

Through wood and stream and field and hill and ocean 
A quickening life from the earth's heart has burst 

As it has ever done, with change and motion, 
From the great morning of the world when first 
God dawned on Chaos, in its stream immerst 

The lamps of Heaven flash with a softer light; 
All baser things pant with life's sacred thirst, 

Diffuse themselves, and spend in love's delight, 

The beauty and the joy of their renewed might. 

Samuel Taylor Coleridge 
Hymn Before Sunrise 

Ye living flowers that skirt the eternal forest. 

— Psa. 148. 
Find references to this Psalm throughout the poem. 

Omar Khayyam 

Now the New Year reviving old Desires, 
The thoughtful Soul to Solitude retires, 

Where the White Hand of Moses on the Bough 
Puts out, and Jesus from the ground suspires. 

A Disputed Quatrain 

Death's terrors spring from baseless fantasy, 
Death yields the tree of immortality; 
Since Jesus breathed new life into my soul 
Eternal death has washed his hands of me. 

Edgar Allan Poe 

His Bible references are infrequent. He quotes 
rather from classical literature. 

The Coliseum 

O spells more sure than e'er Judsean King, 
Taught in the gardens of Gethsemane! 



130 THE ENGLISH BIBLE 

William Wordsworth 

On the Seashore Near Calais 

Listen ! The mighty Being is awake 
And doth with his eternal motion make 
A sound like thunder everlastingly, 

Thou liest in Abraham's bosom all the year. 

Henry Wads worth Longfellow 

Evangeline 

Wrestled the trees of the forest, as Jacob of old with 
the angel. 

As out of Abraham's tent young Ishmael wandered 
with Hagar! 

Rose on the ardor of prayer, like Elijah ascending to 
heaven. 

Veiled the light of his face, like the Prophet descending 
from Sinai. 

Like unto shipwrecked Paul on Melita's desolate sea- 
shore. 

Hung their ladder of ropes aloft like the ladder of 
Jacob. 

As if a hand had appeared and written upon them 
"Upharsin." 

See that you bring us the Prodigal Son from his fasting 
and famine. 

Softly the words of the Lord : "The poor ye always have 
with you." 

As if life, like the Hebrew, with blood had besprinkled 
its portals. 



THE BIBLE IN POETRY 131 

The Courtship of Miles Standish 

'Tis not good for a man to be alone, say the Scriptures. 

Angels of light they seem, but are only delusions of 
Satan. 

Worshiping Astaroth blindly, and impious idols of 
Baal. 

Let not him that putteth his hand to the plough look 
backwards. 

He thought of David's transgression, 
Bathsheba's beautiful face, and his friend in the front 
of the battle! 

Prayed in the silence of night to the Father who seeth 
in secret. 

Who believed in the smiting of Midianites and Philis- 
tines. 

Like the spirit of God, moving visibly over the waters. 

Spilt on the ground like water, can never be gathered 
together. 

Huge as Goliath of Gath, or the terrible Og, king of 
Bashan. 

Praise of the virtuous woman, as she is described in 

the Proverbs- 
How the heart of her husband doth safely trust in her 

always, 
How all the days of her life she will do him good, and 

not evil, 
How she seeketh the wool and the flax and worketh 

with gladness, 
How she layeth her hand to the spindle and holdeth 

the distaff, 



132 THE ENGLISH BIBLE 

How she is not afraid of the snow for herself or her 

household, 
Knowing her household are clothed with the scarlet 

cloth of her weaving! 

Those whom the Lord hath united, let no man put them 
asunder ! 

Simple and brief was the wedding, as that of Ruth and 
of Boaz. 

But to their eyes transfigured, it seemed as the Garden 

of Eden, 
Filled with the presence of God, whose voice was the 

sound of the ocean. 

Fresh with the youth of the world, and recalling Re- 
becca and Isaac. 

The student should now read Longfellow's 
"Christus," and identify the references. The poem is 
a wonderfully true paraphrase of New Testament pas- 
sages. 

John Greenleaf Whittier 
Snow-Bound 

% "Take, eat," he said, a and be content ; 
These fishes in my stead are sent 
By Him who gave the tangled ram 
To spare the child of Abraham." 

The Lord's quick coming in the flesh. 

And hope for all the language is, 
That He remembereth we are dust! 

The Eternal Goodness 

I fain would touch 

The robe that hath no seam. 



THE BIBLE IN POETRY 133 

I hear our Lord's beatitudes 
And prayer upon the cross. 

The bruised reed He will not break, 
But strengthen and sustain. 

Our Master 

We may not climb the heavenly steeps 
To bring the Lord Christ down. 

Nor holy bread, nor blood of grape, 
The lineaments restore. 

Who know with John his smile of love, 
With Peter his rebuke. 

The healing of his seamless dress 

Is by our beds of pain ; 
We touch him in life's throng and press, 

And we are whole again. 

Revisited 

But to Him who gives us beauty for ashes, 
And the oil of joy for mourning long, 

Let thy hills give thanks, and all thy waters 
Break into jubilant waves of song! 

For though by the Master's feet untrodden, 
Though never his word has stilled thy waves. 

Where the rivers of God are full of water, 
And full of sap are his healing trees! 

James Russell Lowell 

Irene 

The garden of her soul still keepeth she 
An Eden where the snake did never enter. 



134 THE ENGLISH BIBLE 

No jealousy, no Levite pride 

That passeth by upon the other side. 

A Legend of Brittany 

Grim-hearted world, that look'st with Levite eyes 
On those poor fallen by too much faith in man. 

Thou wilt not let her wash thy dainty feet 

With such salt things as tears, or with rude hair 

Dry them. 

A Chippewa Legend 

Made bold by hunger, he was fain to glean 

(More sick at heart than Ruth, and all alone) 

After the harvest of the merciless wolf, 

Grim Boaz, who, sharp-ribbed and gaunt, yet feared 

A thing more wild and starving than himself. 

Columbus 

And find no spot in Judas, save that he, 
Driving a duller bargain than he ought, 
Saddled his guilt with too cheap precedent. 

An Incident of the Fire at Hamburg 

"Sing now and make your voices heard in hymns of 

praise/' cried he, 
"As did the Israelites of old, safe walking through the 

sea !" 

To the Future 

Conquerors see with horror in their hands the accursed 

spear 
That tore the meek One's side on Calvary. 

The Present Crisis 

. . . where to-day the martyr stands, 
On the morrow crouches Judas with the silver in his 
hands. 



THE BIBLE IN POETRY 135 

An Indian-Summer Reverie 

Where Memory 

Wanders like gleaning Ruth; and as the sheaves 

Of wheat and barley wavered in the eye 

Of Boaz as the maiden's glow went by. 

Extreme Unction 

And the great Maker did not scorn 
Out of himself to fashion me. 

The Ghost-Seer 

There walks Judas, he who sold 
Yesterday his Lord for gold. 

Ode 

And, bright as Noah saw it, yet 
For you the arching rainbow glows, 
A sight in Paradise denied 
To unfallen Adam and his bride. 

To John G. Palfrey 
Our brazen idol's feet of treacherous clay! 

The Vision of Sir Launfal 

Daily with souls that cringe and plot, 
We Sinais climb and know it not. 

'Tis only God may be had for the asking. 

But he who gives but a slender mite. 

An image of Him who died on the tree. 

"Lo, it is I ; be not afraid !" 

This crust is my body broken for thee, 
This water his blood that died on the tree. 



136 THE ENGLISH BIBLE 

The Biglow Papers 
A cross of striped pig an' one o' Jacob's lambs. 

For Jacob warn't a suckemstance to Jeff at finan- 

cierin' ; 
He never'd thought o' borryin' from Esau like all nater. 

We want some more o' Gideon's sword, I jedge. 

He scatters roun' onscriptur'l views relatin' to Ones'- 
mus. 

It growed an' growed like Jonah's gourd. 

It's a-follerin' Moses 'thout losin' the flesh-pots. 

Under the Willows 

Finding out poison as the first men did 
By tasting and then suffering. 

An Invitation 

As upon Adam, red like blood, 
'Tween him and Eden's happy wood, 
Glared the commissioned angel's shield. 

The Wind-Harp 
This scripture is sadder, — "the other left" ! 

Ode Recited at the Harvard Commemoration 

Whether from Baal's stone obscene, 
Or from the shrine serene 
Of God's pure altar brought. 

The Cathedral 

Nor dare trust 

The Bock of Ages to their chemic tests. 
We can read Bethel on a pile of stones, 
4nd, seeing where God has been, trust in Him. 



THE BIBLE IN POETRY 137 

Where every man's his own Melchisedek, 
How make him reverent of a King of kings? 

The Flying Dutchman 

In the pulpit I've known of his preaching, 

Out of hearing behind the time, 
Some statement of Balaam's impeaching, 

Giving Eve a due sense of her crime. 

In the Half-Way House 

We called it our Eden, that small patent-baker, 

When life was half moonshine and half Mary Jane; 
But the butcher, the baker, the candlestick-maker! — 

Did Adam have duns and slip down a back-lane? 
Nay, after the Fall did the modiste keep coming 

With last styles of fig-leaf to Madam Eve's bower? 
Did Jubal, or whoever taught the girls thrumming, 

Make the patriarchs deaf at a dollar the hour? 

At the Burns Centennial 

Then rang a clear tone over all, 

"One plea for him allow me: 
I once heard call from him o'er me, 'Saul, 

Why persecutest thou me?' " 

"If not a sparrow fall, unless 
The Father sees and knows it." 

At the Commencement Dinner 
Some poor stick requesting, like Aaron's, to bud. 

The builders of Babel, to whose zeal the lungs 
Of the children of men owe confusion of tongues. 



CHAPTER XVII 

THE BIBLE IN ORATORY 

In no other field of literary effort is the Bible more 
frequently drawn upon for purposes of illustration 
than in public speech. Lack of knowledge of the Bible 
on the part of speakers and hearers has consid- 
erably diminished this custom in recent years. Its use 
was especially noticeable during the Civil War and Re- 
construction periods. The selections which follow 
are typical ones. The student should be familiar with 
the use of the passage by the speaker and its setting 
in the Bible: 

Patrick Henry: Gentlemen may cry Peace, Peace 
— but there is no peace. Jer. 6. 14. Speech on War 
with Great Britain. 

William J. Bryan: You shall not press down upon 
the brow of labor this crown of thorns, you shall not 
crucify mankind upon a cross of gold. Matt. 27. 29. 
On the Democratic Platform in the Convention of 1896. 

Edmund Burke: What to us is the empire of the 
world, if we lose our own liberties? Mark 8. 36. 

So far shalt thou go, and no farther. Job 38. 11. 
Reference to the treatment of the colonies. 

After this globe is burned to ashes. 2 Pet. 3. 10. 
Impeachment of Warren Hastings. 

Matthew Arnold: Though thy people Israel be as 
the sand of the sea, only a remnant of them shall re- 
turn. Gen. 32. 12; Isa. 10. 21. Lecture in Boston on 
"The Majority and the Remnant." 

138 



THE BIBLE IN ORATORY 139 

Henry Ward Beecher: He is like Moses, looking over 
the promised land. Deut. 3. 27. Lecture on "The 
Reign of the Common People/' referring to the lure 
of riches. 

Henry Watterson: There were giants in those days. 
Gen. 6. 4. Address on "Abraham Lincoln." 

Senator G. F. Hoar: I myself have seen bitterness. 
But now — thy people shall be my people, and thy God 
my God. Ruth 1. 16. After speeches by Southern 
orators regarding the condition of their country. 

The practical statesmanship of the Declaration of 
Independence and the Golden Rule would have cost 
nothing but a few kind words. Matt. 7. 12. On the 
Subjugation of the Philippines. 

Miscellaneous statements referring to Belgium's 
patriotism in the Great War: 

Belgium's mighty neighbor coveted her vineyard. 
1 Kings 21. 2. 

David bravely faced Goliath. 1 Sam. 17. 48. 

Germany promised bread; she gave a stone. Matt. 
7. 9. 

Belgium has been nailed to the cross for the welfare 
of civilization. Let us not wait until she cries, "It is 
finished." John 19, 18, and 30. 

Lucius Q. C. Lamar: Know one another and you will 
love one another. 1 Pet. 1. 22. On the death of Charles 
Sumner. 

Robert G. Ingersoll: From the voiceless lips of the 
unreplying dead there comes no word ; but in the night 
of death hope sees a star, and listening love can hear 
the rustle of a wing. Num. 24. 17. Oration at his 
brother's grave. 



140 THE ENGLISH BIBLE 

Roscoe Conkling: You have tried him. and by his 
work have known him. Matt. 7. 20. Speech nominat- 
ing U. S. Grant. 

James A. Garfield: The Babel of confusion. Gen. 
11. 9. 

The stars in their courses will fight for us. Judg. 
5.20. 

One half of the press crying, "Crucify him!" John 
19. 6. Oration nominating John Sherman. 

"Clouds and darkness are round about him: right- 
eousness and judgment are the habitation of his throne. 
Fellow citizens, God reigns and the government at 
Washington still lives." Psa. 97. 2. Speech in con- 
nection wit^h the draft riots. 

James G. Blaine: He trod the winepress alone. Isa. 
63. 3. On the death of Garfield. 

Grover Cleveland: It is God's will. 1 Thess. 5. 18. 
On the death of McKinley. 

Benjamin F. Butler: When I was a child I spake as 
a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: 
but when I became a man, I put away childish things. 
1 Cor. 13. 11. Eeferring to the publication of a trans- 
lation of Virgil by his political opponent, Mr. John D. 
Long. 

All that a man hath will he give for his life. Job 
2. 4. Butler stated that this came from the highest 
authority in the universe. His opponent replied that 
he was glad to know at last whom Ben Butler regarded 
as the highest authority in the universe. 

Henry W. Grady: Surely God, who had stripped 
him of his property, inspired him in his adversity. 



THE BIBLE IN ORATORY 141 

Job 1. 21. Address before the New England Society 
on "The Old South and the New." 

John Hay: The sayings of celestial wisdom have no 
date; the words that reach us, over two hundred years 
out of the darkest hour of gloom the world has ever 
known, are true to life to-day: They know not what 
they do. Luke 23. 34. 

He would select a few pointed facts, and, blow upon 
blow, would hammer them into the attention of great 
assemblages, as Jael drove the nail into the head of 
the Canaanite captain. Judg. 4. 21. 

Quit you like men ; be strong. 1 Cor. 16. 13. 

His will, not ours, be done. Matt. 26. 42. On the 
death of McKinley. 

Theodore Roosevelt: Much has been given to us, and 
much will rightfully be expected from us. Luke 12. 48. 
First inaugural address. 

Her husband and her children . . . shall rise up and 
call her blessed. Prov. 31. 28. On "American Mother- 
hood." 

Read Roosevelt's address "On Reading the Bible," 
Modern Eloquence, Vol. XV. 

Robert Y. Hayne: The foxes have holes, and the birds 
of the air have nests, but the Son of Man hath not where 
to lay his head. Matt. 8. 20. Debate with Webster. 
Referring to the condition of the blacks in the North. 

"There is a spirit, which, like the father of evil, is 
constantly walking to and fro about the earth seeking 
whom it may devour." 1 Pet. 5. 8. Ibid. The failure 
of the North to attend to its own business. 

Alexander H. Stephens: Well, then, we say, as the 
patriarch of old said to his friend and kinsman, when 



142 THE ENGLISH BIBLE 

disputes arose between the herdsmen of their cattle: 
"Let there be no strife, I pray thee, between me and 
thee, and between my herdmen and thy herdmen, for 
we are brethren. Is not the whole land before thee? 
Separate thyself, I pray thee, from me. If thou wilt 
take the left hand, then I will go to the right; or, if 
thou depart to the right hand then I will go to the left." 
Gen. 13. 8-9. Speech in the House of Representatives, 
The South and the Public Domain. 

Rufus Choate: There is another eloquence — such as 
that in which the leader of Israel in the first days holds 
up to the new nation the Land of Promise. Deut. 33. 
27. Eulogy of Daniel Webster. 

John Brown: Remember them that are in bonds, as 
bound with them. Heb. 13. 3. Speech at his trial. 

William L. Yancey: They ought to be strung upon a 
political gallows higher than that ever erected for Ha- 
inan. Esther 7. 10. Speech in the Charleston Conven- 
tion, referring to leaders of a faction of the Demo- 
cratic party. Woodrow Wilson says that Yancey made 
the election of Douglas impossible, and thus caused 
the election of Lincoln. 

Abraham Lincoln: A house divided against itself 
cannot stand. Matt. 12. 25. Address delivered at the 
Republican State Convention at Springfield. The 
speech was named from this passage. 

A living dog is better than a dead lion. Eccl. 9. 4. 
Ibid. Reference to Stephen A. Douglas. 

Thus saith the Lord. 2 Kings 20. 5, etc. Ibid. Re- 
ferring to Douglas's belief in the binding force of de- 
cisions. 

Shall have a new birth. John 3. 7. The Gettysburg 
address. 



THE BIBLE IN ORATORY 143 

Woe unto the world because of offenses! Woe to 
that man by whom the offense cometh. Matt. 18. 7. 
Second inaugural address. 

Phillips Brooks: It is the great boon of such char- 
acters as Mr. Lincoln's that they reunite what God 
has joined together and man has put asunder. Matt. 
19. 6. Funeral oration on Abraham Lincoln. 

William M. Thackeray: To wipe every tear from 
every eye. Rev. 21. 4. On "Charity and Humor." 
From a eulogy of Dickens. 

John Bright: It is true we have not, as an ancient 
people had, Urim and Thummim — those oracular gems 
on Aaron's breast. Lev. 8. 8. On England's foreign 
policy. Referring to England's experience in funda- 
mental principles of morality. 

John Milton: Rise, Peter; kill and eat. Acts 10. 13. 
A plea for freedom of choice in reading. 

Sir Harry Vane: I have otherwise learned Christ, 
than to fear them that can but kill the body, and have 
no more that they can do. Eph. 4. 20; Matt. 10. 28. 
Delivered at his trial for treason. 

Richard Rumbold: It w T as Nimrod's pride in build- 
ing Babel that caused that heavy curse of division of 
tongues to be spread among us. Gen. 10. 9-10; 11. 9. 
Speech on the scaffold by a Cromwell soldier. 

Woodrow Wilson: Their thought is not our thought. 
Isa. 55. 8. A political address. 

Anson Burlingame: Smote him as Cain smote his 
brother. Gen. 4. 8. On Brooks's assault upon Sumner. 

Charles Sumner: Is thy servant a dog that he should 
do this thing? 2 Kings 8. 13. A reply to a Southern 
senator who asked him if he would assist in returning 



144 



THE ENGLISH BIBLE 



a fugitive slave. Note the significance of the word 
"dog." 

William Lloyd Garrison: Then shall thy light break 
forth as the morning, and thy darkness shall be as the 
noonday. Psa. 37. 6. 

And they that shall be of thee shall build the old 
waste places; thou shalt raise up the foundations of 
many generations; and thou shalt be called, The re- 
pairer of the breach, The restorer of paths to dwell in. 
Isa. 58. 12. 

How can two walk together except they be agreed? 
Amos 3. 3. 

What concord hath Christ with Belial? 2 Cor. 6. 15. 
On the death of John Brown. 

John Hancock: Let us humbly commit our right- 
eous cause to the great Lord of the universe, who loveth 
righteousness and hateth iniquity. Psa. 45. 7. 

Although the fig-tree shall not blossom, neither shall 
fruit be in the vines; the labor of the olive shall fail, 
and the field shall yield no meat ; the flock shall be cut 
off from the fold, and there shall be no herd in the 
stalls: yet we will rejoice in the Lord, we will joy in 
the God of our salvation. Hab. 3. 17-18. Speech on 
the Boston Massacre. 

Chauncey M. Depeic: The Wise Men traveled from 
the east toward the west under the guidance of the Star 
of Bethlehem. Matt. 2. 1, 2. The Columbian Oration. 

William M. Evarts: One generation passeth away 
and another generation cometh, but the earth abideth 
forever. Eccl. 1. 4. "What the Age Owes to America/' 
July 4, 1876. Centennial Oration. 

Louis Kossuth: Liberty restricted to one nation 



THE BIBLE IN ORATORY 145 

never can be sure. You may say, "We are the prophets 
of God/' but you shall not say, "God is only our God." 
The Jews have said so, and the pride of Jerusalem lies 
in the dust. Our Saviour taught all humanity to say, 
"Our Father in heaven" ; and his Jerusalem is lasting 
to the end of days. Matt. 6. 9. A plea for universal 
liberty, delivered in Faneuil Hall, Boston, 1852. 

Champ Clark: Read his address "On the Annexation 
of Hawaii," Modern Eloquence, Vol. XII. Note refer- 
ences to Babel, Moses, Abraham and Lot, Jacob, and 
Samson and Delilah. 



CHAPTER XVIII 

THE BIBLE IN THE ESSAY 

Although the Bible is quoted freely by leading 
English and American essayists, it is not found with 
the frequency that is characteristic of poetry and ora- 
tory. The following passages should be studied and the 
list extended from the student's further reading. 

Francis Bacon 

What is truth? said jesting Pilate, and would not 
stay for an answer. 

It being foretold, that when Christ cometh, he shall 
not find faith upon the earth. 

Et conversus Deus, ut aspiceret opera quae fecerunt 
manus suae, vidit quod omnia essent bona nimis; and 
then the Sabbath. 

To respect persons is not good ; for such a man will 
transgress for a piece of bread. 

A certain rabbin, upon the text, Your young men 
shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams, 
inferreth that young men are admitted nearer to God 
than old. 

God Almighty first planted a garden. 

Charles Lamb 

Whether it be that, in which the psalmist, weary of 
the persecutions of bad men, wisheth to himself dove's 
wings — or that other, which, with a like measure of 
sobriety and pathos, inquireth by what means the 
young man shall best cleanse his mind. 

146 



THE BIBLE IN THE ESSAY 147 

Prince of plasterers at Babel. 

He cannot conquer the Shibboleth. How it breaks 
out, when he sings, "The Children of Israel passed 
through the Red Sea!" 

To the temperate fantasies of the famished Son of 
God, what sort of feasts presented themselves? 

Defoe 

Moses was a merciful meek man ; and yet with what 
fury did he run through the camp, and cut the throats 
of three and thirty thousand of his dear Israelites that 
were fallen into idolatry! 

Thomas Carlyle 
Sartor Resartus 

Wits spoke of him secretly as if he were a kind of 
Melchizedek, without father or mother of any kind. 

This had the Everlasting No (das Ewige Nein) 
pealed authoritatively through all the recesses of my 
Being, of my Me; and then was it that my whole Me 
stood up, in native God-created majesty, and with em- 
phasis recorded its Protest. Such a Protest, the most 
important transaction in Life, may that same Indigna- 
tion and Defiance, in a psychological point of view, be 
fitly called. The Everlasting No had said: "Behold, 
thou art fatherless, outcast, and the Universe is mine 
(the Devil's) ;" to which my whole Me now made an- 
swer: "I am not thine, but Free, and for ever hate 
thee!" 

It is from this hour that I date my Spiritual New- 
birth, or Baphometic Fire-baptism; perhaps I directly 
thereupon began to be a Man. 

There is in man a Higher than Love of Happiness: 
he can do without happiness, and instead thereof find 



148 THE ENGLISH BIBLE 

Blessedness. Was it not to preach forth this same 
Higher that sages and martyrs, the Poet and the Priest, 
in all times, have spoken and suffered, bearing testi- 
mony, through life and through death, of the Godlike 
that is in Man, and how in the Godlike only has he 
Strength and Freedom? Which God-inspired doctrine 
art thou too honored to be taught; Heavens! and 
broken with manifold merciful Afflictions, even till 
thou become contrite, and learn it! O thank thy Des- 
tiny for these; thankfully bear what yet remain: thou 
haclst need of them : the Self in thee needed to be anni- 
hilated. By benignant fever-paroxysms is Life rooting 
out the deep-seated chronic Disease, and triumphs over 
Death. On the roaring billows of Time, thou art not 
engulphed, but borne aloft in the azure of Eternity. 
Love not Pleasure; love God. This is the Everlasting 
Yea, wherein all contradiction is solved ; wherein whoso 
walks and works, it is well with him." . 

These passages, the Everlasting Nay and the Ever- 
lasting Yea, are quoted for the spirit of the Bible they 
possess, rather than for direct references. 

"To me nothing seems more natural than that the 
Son of Man, when such God-given mandate first pro- 
phetically stirs within him, and the Clay must now be 
vanquished or vanquish — should be carried of the spirit 
into grim Solitudes, and there fronting the Tempter 
do grimmest battle with him ; defiantly setting him at 
naught, till he yield and fly. Name it as we choose; 
with or without visible Devil, whether in the natural 
Desert of rocks, and sands, or in the populous moral 
Desert of selfishness and baseness — to such Temptation 
are we all called." 

Heroes and Hero Worship 

He who, in any way, shows us better than we knew 
before that a lily of the fields is beautiful, does he not 



THE BIBLE IN THE ESSAY 149 

show it us as an effluence of the Fountain of all Beauty ; 
as the handwriting, made visible there, of the great 
Maker of the Universe? He has sung for us, made us 
sing with him, a little verse of a sacred Psalm. Es- 
sentially so. How much more he who sings, who says, 
or in any way brings home to our heart the noble do- 
ings, feelings, darings, and endurances of a brother 
man. He has verily touched our hearts as with a live 
coal from the altar. Perhaps there is no worship more 
authentic. 

Past and Present 

When a Nation is unhappy, the old Prophet was right 
and not wrong in saying to it : Ye have forgotten God, 
ye have quitted the ways of God, or ye would not have 
been unhappy. It is not according to the laws of Fact 
that ye have lived and guided yourselves, but accord- 
ing to the laws of Delusion, Imposture, and willful and 
unwillful Mistake of Fact; behold therefore the Un- 
veracity is worn out; Nature's long-suffering w T ith you 
is exhausted; and ye are here! 

These be thy gods, O Israel? And thou art so willing 
to worship, — poor Israel! 

"My starving workers?'' answers the rich mill-owner: 
"Did I not hire them fairly in the market? Did I not 
pay them, to the last sixpence, the sum covenanted for? 
What have I to do with them more? — Verily Mammon- 
worship is a melancholy creed. When Cain, for his 
own behoof, had killed Abel, and was questioned, 
'Where is thy brother?' he too made answer, Am I my 
brother's keeper ? Did I not pay my brother his wages, 
the thing he had merited from me?" 

Ealph W. Emerson 
The Poet 
When John saw, in the apocalypse, the ruin of the 



150 THE ENGLISH BIBLE 

world through evil, and the stars fall from heaven, 
as the fig-tree casteth her untimely fruit. 

John Euskin 

The Two Boyhoods 

"Put ye in the sickle, for the harvest is ripe." The 
word is spoken in our ears continually to other reapers 
than the angels — to the busy skeletons that never tire 
for stooping. When the measure of iniquity is full, and 
it seems that another day might bring repentance and 
redemption — "Put ye in the sickle." When the young 
life has been wasted all away, and the eyes are just 
opening upon the tracks of ruin, and faint resolutions 
rising in the heart for nobler things — "Put ye in the 
sickle." 

Time and Tide 

I happened to be reading this morning (29th March) 
some portions of the Lent services, and I came to a 
pause over the familiar words, "And with Him they 
crucified two thieves." Have you ever considered (I 
speak to you now as a professing Christian) why, in 
the accomplishment of the "numbering among trans- 
gressors," the transgressors chosen should have been 
especially thieves — not murderers, nor, as far as we 
know, sinners by any gross violence? Do you observe 
how the sin of theft is again and again indicated as the 
chiefly antagonistic one to the law of Christ? "This he 
said, not that he cared for the poor, but because he was 
a thief, and had the bag" (of Judas). And again, 
though Barabbas was a leader of sedition and a mur- 
derer besides — (that the popular election might be in 
all respects perfect) — yet Saint John, in curt and con- 
clusive account of him, fastens again on the theft. 
"Then cried they all again saying, Not this man, but 
Barabbas. Now Barabbas was a robber." 



CHAPTER XIX 

THE BIBLE IN THE NOVEL 

Many of our best English novels contain references 
to the Bible. The selections here given represent for 
the most part scenes of considerable dramatic power. 

Charles Dickens 
A Tale of Two Cities 

She kisses his lips; he kisses hers; they solemnly 
bless each otner. The spare hand does not tremble as 
he releases it ; nothing worse than a sweet, bright con- 
stancy is in the patient face. She goes next before him 
— is gone ; the knitting women count twenty-two. 

"I am the resurrection and the life, saith the Lord; 
he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall 
he live : and whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall 
never die." 

The murmuring of many voices, the upturning of 
many faces, the pressing on of many footsteps in the 
outskirts of the crowd, so that it swells forward in a 
mass, like one great heave of water, all flashes away. 
Twenty-three. John 11. 25. 

Walter Scott 
The Heart of Mid-Lothian 

All marked and were moved by these changes, except- 
ing one. It was old Deans, who, motionless in his seat, 
and concealed, as we have said, by the corner of the 
bench, from seeing or being seen, did nevertheless keep 
his eyes firmly fixed on the ground, as if determined 

151 



152 THE ENGLISH BIBLE 

that, by no possibility whatever, would he be an ocular 
witness of the shame of his house. 

"Iehabod!" he said to himself — "Ichabod! my glory 
is departed." 1 Sam. 4. 21. 

William M. Thackeray 

The Newcomes 

At the usual evening hour the chapel bell began to 
toll, and Thomas Newcome's hands outside the bed 
feebly beat time. And just as the last bell struck, a 
peculiar sweet smile shone over his face, and he lifted 
up his head a little, and quickly said, "Adsum!" and 
fell back. It was the word we used at school, when 
names were called ; and lo, he, whose heart was as that 
of a little child, had answered to his name, and stood 
in the presence of The Master. Matt. 18. 3. 

Pendennis 

As they were talking the clock struck nine, and 
Helen reminded him how, when he was a little boy, she 
used to go to his bedroom at that hour, and hear him 
say Our Father, and once more, oh, once more, the 
young man fell down at his mother's sacred knees, and 
sobbed out the prayer which the Divine Tenderness 
uttered for us, and which has been echoed for twenty 
ages since by millions of sinful and humbled men. And 
as he spoke the last words of supplication, the mother's 
head fell down on her boy's, and her arms closed around 
him, and together they repeated the words "forever and 
ever" and "Amen." Matt. 6. 9-13. 

Vanity Fair 

That night Amelia made the boy read the story of 
Samuel to her, and how Hannah, his mother, having 
weaned him, brought him to Eli the High Priest to min- 



THE BIBLE IN THE NOVEL 153 

ister before the Lord. And he read the song of grati- 
tude which Hannah sang: and which says, who it is 
who maketh poor and maketh rich, and bringeth low 
and exalteth — how the poor shall be raised up out of the 
dust and how, in his own might, no man shall be strong. 
Then he read how Samuel's mother made him a little 
coat, and brought it to him from year to year when she 
came up to offer the yearly sacrifice. And then, in her 
sweet simple way, George's mother made commentaries 
to the boy upon this affecting story. 1 Sam. 2. 19. 

Bobert L. Stevenson 
Treasure Island 

It was a round spot about the size of a crown piece. 
One side was blank, for it had been the last leaf ; the 
other contained a verse or two of Revelation — these 
words among the rest, which struck sharply home upon 
my mind : "Without our dogs and murderers/' The 
printed side had been blackened with w x ood ash, which 
already began to come off and soil my fingers; on the 
blank side had been written with the same material 
the one word "Deposed." Rev. 22. 15. 

William Allen White 
A Certain Rich Man 

The gaunt old woman stretched out her hands and 
cried : "Oh, John Barclay, prove your god. Tell him 
to come and give you a moment's happiness — set him 
to work to restore your good name; command him to 
make Jeanette happy. These things my God can do! 
Let your mammon/' she cried with all the passion of 
her soul, "let your mammon come down and do one 
single miracle like that." Her voice broke and she 
sobbed. "What a tower of Babel you are building, 
John — you and your kith and kind ! The last century 



154 THE ENGLISH BIBLE 

gave us Schopenhauers and Kants, all denying God, 
and this one gives us Kailroad Kings, all by their 
works proclaiming that mammon has the power and 
the glory and the Kingdom: ye workers of iniquity!" 
She cried, and her voice lifted, "ye wicked and per- 
verse." 

And as John Barclay let his soul rise with the swell- 
ing music, he felt the solace of a great peace in his 
heart ; he turned his wet face upward and cried, "Oh, 
mother, mother; I feel like a child!" Then Mary Bar- 
clay knew that her own had let Him in, knew in her 
own heart all the joy there is in heaven over one sinner 
that repenteth. Luke 16. 13; Gen. 11. 1-9; Matt 7. 23; 
Matt. 17. 17; Luke 15. 7. 

Victor Hugo 

Les Miserables 

I perceive that I shock you. You think it very arro- 
gant in a poor priest to ride an animal that was used 
by Jesus Christ. I have done so from necessity, I as- 
sure you, and not from vanity. Matt. 21. 5. 

Ecclesiastes calls you the All-powerful; the Macca- 
bees call you the Creator; the Epistle to the Ephesians 
calls you Liberty; Baruch calls you Immensity; The 
Psalms calls you Wisdom and Truth; John calls 
you Light; the Books of Kings call you Lord; 
Exodus calls you Providence; Leviticus, Sanctity; 
Esdras, Justice; the creation calls you God; man 
calls you Father; but Solomon calls you Compassion, 
and that is the most beautiful of all your names. 1 
Kings 8. 50. 

Questioned in regard to leaving his house un- 
guarded, the Bishop replied, "Unless the Lord guard the 
house, in vain do they watch who guard it." Psa. 127. 1. 



THE BIBLE IN THE NOVEL 155 

Dialog with the Member of the Convention : 
Ah ? Monsieur Priest, you love not the crudities of 
the truth. Christ loved them. His scourge full of light- 
nings was a harsh speaker of truths. When he cried, 
Sineto Parvulos, he made no distinction between the 
little children. It would not have embarrassed him to 
bring together the Dauphin of Barabbos and the Dau- 
phin of Herod. Innocence, Monsieur, is its own crown. 
Innocence has no need to be a highness. It is as august 
in rags as in fleurs de lys. . . . 

The Bishop hung his head and replied, Vermis sum — 
1 am a worm. Mark 10. 14 ; Job 25. 6. 

He did not attempt to impart to his chausable the 
folds of Elijah's mantle. 2 Kings 2. 8. 

Hall Caine 
The Eternal City 

I came here to see Mary Magdalene and I find the 
soul of the Mother of God herself, 

George Eliot 
Adam Bede, Romola 

These are full of religious discussions but contain 
very few direct quotations from the Bible. 

Walter Scott 
Ivanhoe, Rebecca's Hymn 

Exod. 33. 9. 
Exod. 15. 20. 
John 5. 35. 
Psa. 137. 2. 
Psa. 51. 17. 



156 THE ENGLISH BIBLE 

James Lane Allen 
The Choir Invisible 

"I shall go softly all my days." Said by Mrs, Fal- 
coner when twice disappointed in love affairs. Isa. 
38. 15. 



CHAPTER XX 
THE SONGS OF THE BIBLE 

In this chapter are collected the songs which occur 
in the first eight books of the Bible. They are taken 
from Geden's "Introduction to the Hebrew Bible." The 
longer songs, like the Song of Solomon and the various 
Psalms, are treated by themselves. The beautiful songs 
in connection with the annunciation deserve careful 
study. Other songs have been discussed in connection 
with the narratives. 

The chief songs or poetical extracts, contained in 
the first eight books of the Bible: 



(1 

(2 

(3 

(4 
(5 

(6 

(7 

(8 

(9 
(10 

(11 
(12 

(13 
(14 



Gen. 4. 23, 24. Song of Lamech. 

Gen. 9. 24-27. Noah's Curse on Canaan, and 

Blessing on Japheth. 
Gen. 27. 27-29. Isaac's Blessing of Jacob. 
Gen. 27. 39, 40. Isaac's Blessing of Esau. 
Gen. 49. 2-27. Jacob's Prophecy of the Future of 

his Sons. 
Exod. 15. 1-18, 21. Song at the Bed Sea of Moses 

and the Children of Israel, and of Miriam. 
Exod. 20. 2-17. The Ten Words. Compare Deut. 

5. 6-21. 
Num. 10. 35, 36. Words for the Taking up and 

Setting down of the Ark. 
Num. 21. 14, 15. Song of the Valley. 
Num. 21. 17, 18. Song of the Well. 
Num. 21. 27-30. Satire on the Fall of Heshbon. 
Num. 23. 7-10, 18-24; 24. 3-9, 15-24. Oracles of 

Balaam, the Son of Beor. 
Deut. 27. 15-26. Curses of the Law. 
Deut. 32. 1-43. Song of Moses. 
157 



158 THE ENGLISH BIBLE 

(15) Deut. 33. 2-29. Blessing of Moses. 

(16) Josh. 10. 12, 13. Adjuration of Sun and Moon at 

Gibeon and the Valley of Aijalon. 

(17) Judg. 5. Song of Deborah and Barak. 

(18) Judg. 9. 8-15. Jotham's Fable of the Trees and 

their King. 

(19) Judg. 14. 14, 18; 15. 16. Samson's Riddle and 

Sayings. 

(20) 1 Sam. 2. 1-10. Hannah's Prayer. 

(21) 1 Sam. 18. 7; 21. 11. Celebration by the Women 

of David's Prowess. 

(22) 2 Sam. 1. 19-27. David's Lament over Saul and 

Jonathan. Song of the Bow. 

(23) 2 Sam. 3. 33, 34. Elegy on the Death of Abner. 

(24) 2 Sam. 22. David's Song of Deliverance; com- 

pare Psa. 18. 

(25) 2 Sam. 23. 1-7. Last Words of David. 

The oldest recorded song and perhaps the oldest 
verse in the Bible is the Song of Lainech, Gen. 4. 23-24 : 

Adah and Zillah, hear my voice; 

Ye wives of Lamech, hearken unto my speech; 

For I have slain a man to my wounding, 

And a young man to my hurt. 

If Cain shall be avenged sevenfold, 

Truly Lamech seventy and sevenfold. 

This song has been variously interpreted. 
a. Cain, a homicide, was preserved. Lamech, an 
unintentional homicide, would surely be preserved, 
ft. A boastful song. 

For I slay a man if he woundeth me, 
Even a young man if he hurteth me. 

c. Lamech took a young man with him on a hunting 
expedition to assist him in pointing his arrows. In- 
advertently an arrow was pointed at a thicket in which 



THE SONGS OF THE BIBLE 159 

Cain was hiding and Cain was slain. Lamech then 
shot the youth in his anger. 

d. An example of parallelism. (See chapter 23.) 
Only one was slain and the repetition was for emphasis. 
The song tells of the power of weapons and compares 
the vengeance which comes with their use with the 
lesser vengeance of Cain. 

The songs of Miriam and Deborah and Barak are 
taken from Moulton's The Literary Study of the Bible. 

Song op Moses and Miriam 
Prelude 

MEN AND WOMEN 

I will sing unto the Lord, for he hath triumphed 
gloriously ; 

The horse and his rider hath he thrown into the sea. 
The Lord is my strength and song, 

And he is become my salvation : 
This is my God, and I will praise him; 

My father's God, and I will exalt him. 

I 

MEN 

The Lord is a man of war; 

The Lord is his name. 
Pharaoh's chariots and his host hath he cast into the 
sea: 

And his chosen captains are sunk in the Red Sea. 
The deeps cover them : 

They went down into the depths like a stone. 

WOMEN 

Sing ye to the Lord, for he hath triumphed gloriously ; 
The horse and his rider hath he thrown into the sea. 



160 THE ENGLISH BIBLE 



II 



MEN 



Thy right hand, O Lord, is glorious in power, 

Thy right hand, O Lord, dasheth in pieces the enemy, 
And in the greatness of thine excellency thou over- 
throwest them that rise up against thee: 
Thou sendest forth thy wrath, it consumeth them 
as stubble. 
And with the blast of thy nostrils the waters were 
piled up, 
The Hoods stood upright as an heap; 
The deeps were congealed in the heart of the sea. 
The enemy said, I will pursue, I will overtake, I will 
divide the spoil: 
My lust shall be satisfied upon them ; 
I will draw my sword, my hand shall destroy them. 
Thou didst blow with thy wind, the sea covered them: 
They sank as lead in the mighty waters. 

WOMEN 

Sing ye to the Lord, for he hath triumphed gloriously; 
The horse and his rider hath he thrown into the sea. 

Ill 

MEN 

Who is like unto thee, O Lord, among the gods? 
Who is like thee, glorious in holiness, 
Fearful in praises, doing wonders? 
Thou stretchedst out thy right hand, 

The earth swallowed them. 
Thou in thy mercy hast led the people which thou 
hast redeemed, 
Thou hast guided them in thy strength to thy holy 
habitation. 



THE SONGS OP THE BIBLE 161 

The peoples have heard, they tremble: 
Pangs have taken hold on the inhabitants of Philis- 
tia. 
Then were the dukes of Edom amazed ; 
The mighty men of Moab, trembling taketh hold 
upon them: 
All the inhabitants of Canaan are melted away. 

Terror and dread falleth upon them ; 
By the greatness of thine arm they are as still as a 
stone ; 
Till thy people pass over, O Lord, 
Till the people pass over, which thou hast purchased. 
Thou shalt bring them in, and plant them in the moun- 
tain of thine inheritance, 
The place, O Lord, which thou hast made for thee to 

dwell in, 
The sanctuary, O Lord, which thy hands have es- 
tablished. 
The Lord shall reign for ever and ever. 

WOMEN 

Sing ye to the Lord, for he hath triumphed gloriously; 
The horse and his rider hath he thrown into the sea. 

Song of Deborah and Barak 
Refrain 

MEN 

For that the leaders took the lead in Israel — 

WOMEN 

For that the people offered themselves willingly — 

Tutti 
Bless ye the Lord! 



1G2 THE ENGLISH BIBLE 

Prelude 

MEN 

Hear, O ye kings — 

WOMEN 

Give ear, O ye princes — 

MEN 

I, even I, will sing unto the Lord — 

WOMEN 

I will sing praise to the Lord, the God of Israel. 

Apostrophe 
Tutti 

Lord, when thou wentest forth out of Seir, 
When thou marchedst out of the field of Edom, 

The earth trembled, the heavens also dropped, 
Yea, the clouds dropped water. 

The mountains flowed down at the presence of the Lord. 

Even yon Sinai at the presence of the Lord, the God 
of Israel, 

1. The Desolation 

MEN 

In the days of Shamgar the son of Anath, 

In the days of Jael, 
The highways were unoccupied, 

And the travelers walked through byways; 
The rulers ceased in Israel, 

They ceased — 

WOMEN 

Until that I, Deborah, arose, 
That I arose a mother in Israel. 



THE SONGS OF THE BIBLE 163 

They chose new gods ; 

Then was war in the gates : 
Was there a shield or spear seen 

Among forty thousand in Israel? 

Refrain Enlarged 

MEN 

My heart is toward the governors of Israel — 

WOMEN 

Ye that offered yourselves willingly among the people — 

Tutti 
Bless ye the Lord. 

MEN 

Tell of it, ye that ride on white asses, 
Ye that sit on rich carpets, 

And ye that walk by the way: — 

WOMEN 

Far from the noise of archers, 
In the places of drawing water: 

Tutti 

There shall they rehearse the righteous acts of the Lord, 
Even the righteous acts of his rule in Israel. 

II. The Muster 

Tutti 

Then the people of the Lord went down to the gates — 

MEN 

Awake, awake, Deborah, 

Awake, awake, utter a song: — 



164 THE ENGLISH BIBLE 

WOMEN 

Arise, Barak, 

And lead thy captivity captive, thou son of Abinoam. 

Tutti 

Then came down a remnant of the nobles, 

The people of the Lord came down for me against 
the mighty. 

WOMEN 

Out of Ephraim came down they whose root is in 
Amalek — 

MEN 

After thee, Benjamin, among thy peoples — 

WOMEN 

Out of Machir came down governors. 

MEN 

And out of Zebulun they that handle the marshal's 
staff— 

WOMEN 

And the princes of Issachar were with Deborah — 

MEN 

As was Issachar, so was Barak: 

Tutti 
Into the valley they rushed forth at his feet. 

MEN 

By the watercourses of Beuben 

There were great resolves of heart. 

WOMEN 

Why satest thou among the sheepfolds, 
To hear the pipings for the flocks? 



THE SONGS OF THE BIBLE 165 

MEN 

At the watercourses of Reuben 

There were great searchings of heart! 

WOMEN 

Gilead abode beyond Jordan — 

MEN 

And Dan, why did he remain in ships? — 

WOMEN 

Asher sat still at the haven of the sea, 
And abode by his creeks. 

MEN 

Zebulun was a people that jeoparded their lives unto 
the death, 
And Naphtali, upon the high places of the field. 

III. The Battle and Rout 
Strophe 

MEN 

The kings came and fought; 

Then fought the kings of Canaan, 
In Taanach by the waters of Megiddo :— 

They took no gain of money ! 

Antistrophe 

WOMEN 

They fought from heaven, 

The stars in their courses fought against Sisera. 
The river Kishon swept them away, 

That ancient river, the river Kishon! 



166 THE ENGLISH BIBLE 

Strophe 

MEN 

O my soul, march on with strength! 

Then did the horsehoofs stamp 
By reason of the pransings, 

The pransings of their strong ones. 

Antistrophe 

WOMEN 

Curse ye, Meroz, said the angel of the Lord, 
Curse ye bitterly the inhabitants thereof; 

Because they came not to the help of the Lord, 
To the help of the Lord against the mighty! 

IV. The Retribution 
Strophe 

MEN 

Blessed above women shall Jael be, the wife of Heber 
the Kenite, 

Blessed shall she be above women in the tent! 
He asked water, and she gave him milk ; 

She brought him butter in a lordly dish. 
She put her hand to the nail, 

And her right hand to the workman's hammer; 
And with the hammer she smote Sisera. 

She smote through his head, 

Yea, she pierced and struck through his temples. 
At her feet he bowed, he fell, he lay : 
At her feet he bowed, he fell: 

Where he bowed, there he fell down dead ! 

Antistrophe 

WOMEN 

Through the window she looked forth, and cried, 
The mother of Sisera, through the lattice, 



THE SONGS OF THE BIBLE 167 

"Why is his chariot so long in coming? 

Why tarry the wheels of his chariots?" 
Her wise ladies answered her, 

Yea, she returned answer to herself, 
"Have they not found, 
Have they not divided the spoil? 

A damsel, two damsels to every man; 
To Sisera a spoil of divers colors, 
A spoil of divers colors of embroidery, 

Of divers colors of embroidery on both sides, on the 
necks of the spoil?" 

Apostrophe 
Tutti 

So let all thine enemies perish, O Lord: 
But let them that love him be as the sun when he 
goeth forth in his might! 



CHAPTER XXI 
SHORT STORIES OF THE BIBLE 

The suggestion already made that the statement of 
Senator Beveridge that the world's greatest orations 
are the Sermon on the Mount, Saint Paul's address 
on Mars' Hill, and Lincoln's Gettysburg Address pro- 
duces something of a shock to our religious sensi- 
bilities is further illustrated when we say that a 
list of the best short stories in the world would 
doubtless include selections from Mark Twain, 
O. Henry, Maupassant, and the English Bible. It 
should not, however, detract in the least from re- 
ligious value of the Bible that it contains many 
masterpieces of this kind of literature. The ancient 
Hebrews were much given to the telling of stories, and 
they were frequently used to illustrate points of view. 
Few stories have a stronger hold upon the affections of 
children than the stories of Joseph or the story of the 
slaying of Goliath by David. It is much to the credit 
of juvenile literary judgment that the Samson stories 
seem to make a limited appeal. From the literary 
point of view the story of David and Goliath, 1 Sam. 
17. 20-51 ; the story of the prodigal son, Luke 15. 11-32 ; 
and the story of the good Samaritan, Luke 10. 25-37, 
are suggested as preeminent. The last of these is 
printed for a study in story-telling. 

And, behold, a certain lawyer stood up, and tempted 
him, saying, Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal 
life? He said unto him, What is written in the law? 
how readest thou? And he answering said, Thou 
shalt love the Lord thy God, with all thy heart, and 
with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with 
all thy mind ; and thy neighbor as thyself. And he said 
unto him, Thou hast answered right: this do, and thou 

168 



SHORT STORIES OF THE BIBLE 169 

shalt live. But he, willing to justify himself, said unto 
Jesus, And who is my neighbor? And Jesus answer- 
ing said, A certain man went down from Jerusalem 
to Jericho, and fell among thieves, which stripped him 
of his raiment, and wounded him, and departed, leaving 
him half dead. And by chance there came down a cer- 
tain priest that way : and when he saw him, he passed 
by on the other side. And likewise a Levite, when he 
was at the place, came and looked on him, and passed 
by on the other side. But a certain Samaritan, as he 
journeyed, came where he was: and when he saw him 
he had compassion on him. And went to him, and 
bound up his wounds, pouring in oil and wine, and set 
him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn, and 
took care of him. And on the morrow when he de- 
parted, he took out two pence, and gave them to the 
host, and said unto him, Take care of him; and what- 
soever thou spendest more, when I come again, I will 
repay thee. Which now of these three, thinkest thou, 
was neighbor unto him that fell among the thieves? 
And he said, He that showed mercy on him. Then said 
Jesus unto him, Go, and do thou likewise. 

It will be noted that not a superfluous word is used 
in this narrative and that the story is not dragged in, 
but comes most naturally from the surrounding situa- 
tion. Jesus was never "reminded of a story ." When 
the lawyer, tempting him, asked a profound and some- 
what puzzling question, Who is my neighbor? Jesus 
might have replied by a philosophical discussion on al- 
truism. He chose, however, to tell a simple straight- 
forward story and that will be remembered as long as 
literature endures. 

The following is a list of twenty short stories which 
are especially noteworthy: 

1. Joseph. Gen. 37-48. 

2. Balaam and Balak. Num. 22-24. 



170 THE ENGLISH BIBLE 

3. The capture of Jericho. Josh. 6. 

4. The wars of Gideon. Judg. 6-8. 

5. Jephthah's Daughter. Judg. 11. 
G. Samson. Judg. 14-16. 

7. Euth. The entire book. 

8. David and Goliath. 1 Sam. 17. 

9. David and Jonathan. 1 Sam. 18-20. 

10. Elijah and the prophets of Baal. 1 Kings 18. 

11. Naboth's vineyard. 1 Kings 21. 

12. The ascension of Elijah. 2 Kings 2. 

13. Esther. The entire book. 

14. The three Hebrew children. Dan. 3. 

15. Daniel in the lions' den. Dan. 6. 

16. Jonah. The entire book. 

17. The Good Samaritan. Luke 10. 25-37. 

18. The Prodigal Son. Luke 15. 11-32. 

19. The healing of the lame man at Bethesda. John 

5. 1-9. 

20. The shipwreck of Saint Paul. Acts 27. 



CHAPTER XXII 

THE LITERARY CHARACTERISTICS OF THE 

BIBLE 

The student would do well to read the little book by 
Professor A. S. Cook, of Yale University, on the Bible 
and English Prose Style, in connection with this chap- 
ter. All writers on the subject are agreed that the 
chief charm of the literary style of the Bible is its ex- 
treme simplicity. If competent judges were asked to 
write down the most sublime passage of English in 
existence, there is no doubt but the first verse of Gene- 
sis, "In the beginning God created the heaven and the 
earth/' would receive a large number of votes. Every 
time we read this passage we are impressed with its 
remarkable dignity and grandeur. A similar passage 
is found in the first chapter of the Gospel of Saint 
John, "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word 
was with God, and the Word was God." It is interest- 
ing to note a method used by great writers in introduc- 
ing their principal characters. Shakespeare, for ex- 
ample, introduces Hamlet on the seventh page, Julius 
Caesar on the fourth, Macbeth on the fifth, Lear on the 
second, and Othello on the seventh. Goethe brings in 
Faust after a somewhat lengthy introduction and all 
of our great writers seem to be obliged to resort to the 
employment of a certain literary setting before they 
introduce the chief character. It is interesting to com- 
pare this with the method employed by the author of 
the book of Job. In the first verse of the first chap- 
ter we read, "There was a man in the land of Uz 
whose name was Job." For literary simplicity 
and daring this has no equal in literature. It is ap- 

171 



172 THE ENGLISH BIBLE 

proached, to be sure, by Virgil in the iEneid, where 
he tells us in the first line that he sings of arms and 
the man, meaning iEneas; and by Homer, who an- 
nounces his subject as divine wrath in connection with 
the son of Peleus. 

Euskin (Prseterita) tells us that he owes whatever 
excellence of style he possesses to his familiarity with 
the Bible. He gives a list of passages which were as- 
signed to him by his mother for memorizing: Exod. 
15 and 20; 2 Sam. 1. 17-27; 1 Kings 8; Psa. 23, 32, 90, 
91, 103, 112, 119, 139; Prov. 2, 3, 8, 12; Isa. 58; Matt. 

5, 6, 7 ; Acts 26 ; 1 Cor. 13 and 15 ; James 4 ; Bev. 5 and 

6. Tributes to the beauty of the literary style of the 
Bible have been written by many of our masters of 
English. George Saintsbury tells us that he regards 
the sixth and seventh verses of the eighth chapter of 
the Song of Solomon as the best example known of ab- 
solutely perfect English prose : 

Set me as a seal upon thine heart, as a seal upon 
thine arm : for love is strong as death ; jealousy is cruel 
as the grave: the coals thereof are coals of fire, which 
hath a most vehement flame. 

Many waters cannot quench love, neither can the 
floods drown it : if a man would give all the substance 
of his house for love, it would utterly be contemned. 

Many writers have undertaken to compare the style 
of the Bible with that of other pieces of literature which 
were contemporaneous with it. Chateaubriand, for ex- 
ample, compares the sixteenth verse of the first chapter 
of the book of Ruth with a supposed rendering by 
Homer. While we may not be ready to concede that 
Chateaubriand has quite done justice to Homer, it is 
evident that the biblical narrative does not suffer by 
comparison. The reader should make a study of the 
passages in the Bible quoted in this book and other 
striking passages with reference to their literary char- 
acteristics. In another part of the book is given a list 



LITERARY CHARACTERISTICS 173 

of passages which have been selected for their literary 
charm. Especial attention is directed to the story of 
the good Samaritan, which is printed in the chapter on 
"Short Stories in the Bible." 



CHAPTER XXIII 

FIGUEES OF SPEECH IN THE BIBLE 

Belonging to Oriental literature, the Bible would 
naturally contain many figures of speech. A remark- 
ably complete collection has been made by Dr. E. W. 
Bullinger (London, Eyre and Spottiswoode, 1898). A 
few representative illustrations are given here: 

1. Aposiopesis. 

Exod. 32. 32 : Yet now, if thou wilt forgive their 
sin — ; and, if not, blot me, I pray thee, out of thy 
book which thou hast written (compare Saint 
Paul). 

[Virgil, Book I, line 135 : Quos ego— ! sed motos 
praestat componere fluctus. 

Dante, Canto IX, 8 : Pure, a noi converra vincer 
la punga, comincio ei, se non — Tal ne s'ofiferse. 

However, it will be proper for us to win the bat- 
tle, began he. If not — such a one has offered herself 
to us.] 

Other illustrations will be found in 1 Chron. 4. 10; 
Dan. 3. 15; Judg. 5. 29-31; Luke 19. 42; John 6. 61-62. 

2. Ellipsis. 

1 Cor. 10. 24. Let no man seek his own, but every 
man another's (wealth). 

3. The use of "and." 

a. "And" omitted : 

Judg. 5. 27 : At her feet he bowed, he fell, he 
174 



FIGURES OF SPEECH IN THE BIBLE 175 

lay down : at her feet he bowed, he fell : where he 
bowed, there he fell down dead. 

b. "And" repeated: 

1 Sam. 17. 34, 35: Thy servant kept his 
father's sjieep, and there came a lion, and a bear, 
and took a lamb out of the flock : and I went out 
after him, and smote him, and delivered it out 
of his mouth: and when he arose against me, I 
caught him by his beard, and smote him, and slew 
him. 

4. Belittling. 

1 Sam. 24. 14 : After whom is the king of Israel 
come out? After whom dost thou pursue? After 
a dead dog, after a flea? See also Gen. 18. 27; 
Num. 13. 33; Psa. 22. 6; Isa. 40. 15. 

5. Sentence Similarity. 

a. Beginning Psa. 115. 12-13 : 
He will bless us; 
He will bless the house of Israel ; 
He will bless the house of Aaron. 
He will bless them that fear the Lord. 

Other illustrations may be found in Jer. 8. 1 
and Hos. 3. 4. 
6. Ending: 

The best illustration of this figure is in Psa. 
136, where each verse ends with "His mercy en- 
dureth forever." 

c. Both beginning and ending: 

Judg. 11. 1 : Now Jephthah the Gileadite was 
a mighty man of valor, and he was the son of an 
harlot, and Gilead begat Jephthah. 

Psa. 27. 14: Wait on the Lord; be of good 
courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart, 



176 THE ENGLISH BIBLE 

wait (I say) on the Lord. 2 Sam. 9. 12; Neh. 
11. 21; Luke 12. 5. 

d. Ending of one sentence and beginning of the 
next : 
Gen. 1. 1-2 : In the beginning God created the 
heaven and the earth. And the earth was with- 
out form and void. Exod. 12. 4, 5 ; Num. 33. 3, 4 ; 
2 Sam. 9. 12, 13; Psa. 121. 1, 2; Psa. 122. 2, 3. 

6. Climax. 

John 1. 1-2: In the beginning was the Word: 
and the Word was with God: and the Word was 
God. Eom. 8. 29-30; Kom. 10. 14-15; 2 Pet. 1. 5-7; 
Isa. 40. 3J. (Is this climax or anti-climax?). 

Many other peculiarities of sentence construction 
may be found by the student. 

7. Variety of Inflections. 

2 Kings 21. 13: And I will wipe Jerusalem as 
a man wipeth a dish, wiping it and turning it up- 
side down. John 17. 25; 2 Cor. 1. 10. 

8. Inversion. 

Exod. 9. 31 : And the flax and the barley was 
smitten, for the barley was in the ear, and the flax 
was boiled. Isa. 6. 10; 3 John 11. 

9. Synonyms. 

Zeph. 1. 15 : That day is a day of wrath, a day of 
trouble and distress, a day of wasteness and desola- 
tion, a day of darkness and gloominess, a day of 
clouds and thick darkness. Matt. 12. 30; Eph. 
1. 20, 21. 

10. Parallelism. 

a. Synonyms (expressing the same thought) : 
Psa. 46. 11 : The Lord of Hosts is with us ; 
The God of Jacob is our refuge. 



FIGURES OF SPEECH IN THE BIBLE 177 

b. Antithetic (expressing a contrast) : 

Prov. 11. 1 : A false balance is abomination to 
the Lord : but a just weight is his delight. 

c. Synthetic (completing the thought) : 

Prov. 18. 22: Whoso findeth a wife findeth a 
good thing, and obtaineth favor of the Lord. 

11. Exaggeration. 

John 21. 25: And there are also many other 
things which Jesus did, the which, if they should 
be written every one, I suppose that even the world 
itself could not contain the books that should be 
written. Exod. 8. 17; Deut. 1. 28; Ju<2g. 20. 16; 
1 Kings 1. 40; Job 29. 6; John 12. 19. 

12. Change in Sentence Strength. 

a. Gradual ascent: 

Zech. 7. 11-12: But they refused to hearken, 
and pulled away the shoulder, and stopped their 
ears that they should not hear. Yea, they made 
their hearts as an adamant stone. 1 Cor. 4. 8; 
John 1. 1. 
6. Gradual descent : 

Isa. 40. 31: They shall mount up with wings 
as eagles, they shall run, and not be weary, they 
shall walk, and not faint. (See comment on 
this passage under "Climax.") Ezek. 22. 18; 
Phil. 2. 6-8. 

13. Metonymy. 

Luke 16. 29 : They have Moses and the prophets. 

Deut. 17. 6 : At the mouth of two witnesses. 

Prov. 12. 22 : Lying lips are abomination to the 
Lord. 

1 Pet. 2. 24 : Who his own self bore our sins in 
his own body on the tree. 



178 THE ENGLISH BIBLE 

14. Hendiadys. 

1 Sam. 17. 40: And put them in a shepherd's 
bag which he had, even in a scrip. 1 Sam. 28. 3 ; 
Job 10. 21 ; Zeph. 1. 15-16. 

15. Euphony. 

Job 10. 21-22 : Before I go whence I shall not re- 
turn, even to the land of darkness and the shadow 
of death. Eccl. 12. 1-7; John 11. 11. 

16. Antithesis. 

Isa. 65. 13: Behold, my servants shall eat, but 
ye shall be hungry: behold, my servants shall drink, 
but ye shall be thirsty: behold, my servants shall 
rejoice, but ye shall be ashamed. Lam. 1. 1 ; 2 Cor. 
4. 18. 

17. Metaphor. 

John 6. 35 : I am the bread of life. 

John 8. 12 : I am the light of the world. 

John 10. 9 : I am the door. 

John 15. 5: I am the vine. 

18. Parable. 

These are so numerous that they need not be 
listed. The parable of the prodigal son is one of 
the finest from a literary point of view. 

19. Proverb. 

1 Sam. 10. 12: Is Saul also among the prophets? 
Further illustrations are abundant. 

20. Double Meaning. 

Acts 17. 22: Ye men of Athens, in all things I 
perceive that ye are very religious. 2 Kings 5. 18 ; 
John 19. 19. 



FIGURES OF SPEECH IN THE BIBLE 171) 

21. Irony, 

Ezek. 28. 3 : Behold, thou art wiser than Daniel. 

Job 12. 2: No doubt but ye are the people and 
wisdom shall die with you. 

John 19. 14: Behold your king. 1 Kings 18. 27. 
Cry aloud: for he is a god. 

22. Sarcasm. 

Illustrations of sarcasm and irony are somewhat 
difficult to distinguish in the Bible. One of the 
finest pieces of sarcasm in all literature is found 
in Deborah's song, Juclg. 5. 28-30 : The mother of 
Sisera looked out at a window and cried through 
the lattice, Why is his chariot so long in coming? 
Why tarry the wheels of his chariot? Her wise 
ladies answered her, yea she returned answer to 
herself, Have they not sped? Have they not di- 
vided the prey; to every man a damsel or two; to 
Sisera a prey of divers colors, a prey of divers 
colors of needlework, of divers colors of needlework 
on both sides, meet for the necks of them that take 
the spoil? 

23. Invective. 

Judg. 5. 31 : So let all thine enemies perish, O 
Lord. Matt. 15. 7-9 ; Matt. 16. 3 ; Luke 11. 3844. 

24. Personification. 

Psa. 35. 10 : All my bones shall say, Lord, who is 
like unto thee? Gen. 4. 10; Psa. 145. 15; 1 Cor. 
12. 15, 16. 

25. Apostrophe. 

Neh. 6. 9: For they all made us afraid, saying, 
Their hands shall be weakened from the work, that 
it be not done. Now, therefore, O God, strengthen 
my hands. 1 Kings 13. 2 ; Ezek. 13. 11 ; Joel 2. 22 ; 
Zech. 11. 2. 



180 THE ENGLISH BIBLE 

26. Humor. / 

Prov. 25. 19 : Confidence in an unfaithful man in 
time of trouble is like a broken tooth, and a foot out 
of joint. Prov. 26. 15: The slothful hideth his 
hand in his bosom ; it grieveth him to bring it again 
to his mouth. 

27. The Pun. 

Matt. 16. 18: Thou art Peter, and upon this 
rock I will build my church. Gen. 21. 3: And 
Abraham called the name of his son that was born 
unto him, whom Sarah bore to him, Isaac. See 
Gen. 17. 17; 18. 12. 

There are many striking figures of speech which are 
not brought out by the translation. Many of the 
Psalms are written in the form of an acrostic. Psalm 
111 has twenty-two lines, and each line begins with the 
successive letters of the Hebrew alphabet. Psalm 119 
has one hundred and seventy-six verses and is divided 
into twenty-two sections. Each section contains eight 
verses and each verse of a section begins with the let- 
ters of the Hebrew alphabet in order. The Lamenta- 
tions of Jeremiah make use of the acrostic in a re- 
markably artistic manner. 

As an illustration of the acrostic method the second 
section of Psalm 119 as translated by Dr. Bullinger 
is given. 

By what means shall a young man cleanse his way? 

By taking heed thereto according to Thy word. 
By every means my heart hath sought Thee : 

Let me not err from Thy commandments. 
Besides, I have laid up Thy word in my heart, 

That I might not sin against Thee. 
Blessed art Thou, O Jehovah, 

Teach me Thy statutes. 



FIGURES OF SPEECH IN THE BIBLE 181 

By my lips have I recounted 

All the judgments of Thy mouth. 
By walking in Thy Mandate's way, 

I found joy beyond all wealth. 
By Thy precepts shall I guide my musings, 

And shall pore o'er Thy paths; 
By Thy statutes shall I be delighted; 

Thy word I shall not forget. 

See also the Lamentations of Jeremiah, Chapter 7. 



CHAPTER XXIV 

EXERCISES FOR PRACTICE 

The following quotations based directly or indi- 
rectly upon the Bible should be read by the student 
and their setting determined. Some of them appear in 
the previous chapters of this book. The readiness with 
which the passages are identified will test the stu- 
dent's acquaintance with the Bible. 

Daniel Webster: He [Hamilton] smote the rock of 
the national resources, and abundant streams of 
revenue gushed forth. 

Lowell: 

'Tis not the grapes of Canaan that repay 
But the high faith that failed not by the way. 

Browning: The sight of a sweepy garment, vast 
and white, with a hem that I could recognize. 

Whittier: 

The healing of his seamless dress 
Is by our beds of pain. 

Thomas Hardy (Napoleon) : 
I have been subdued, 
But by the elements and them alone, 
Not Russia, but God's sky has conquered me. 

Byron (Napoleon) : 

Is this the man of thousand thrones, 
Who strewed the earth with hostile bones? 
182 



EXERCISES FOR PRACTICE 183 

Matthew Arnold (Rugby Chapel) : 
Servants of God — or sons 
Shall I not call you? because 
Not as servants ye knew 
Your Father's innermost mind, 
His, who unwillingly sees 
One of his little ones lost. 

Browning (The Ring and the Book) : 

And hell go duly docile all his days. 

Browning (By the Fireside) : 

Think, when our one soul understands, 

The great Word which makes all things new, 
When earth breaks up and heaven expands, 

How will the change strike me and you, 
In the house not made with hands. 

Macaulay: Cursed be Sallie! For it is written, 
Cursed be he who removeth his neighbor's landmark. 

(When a maid had disarranged some stones which 
marked off his garden.) 

Percy B. Shelley (Defense of Poetry) : Their errors 
have been weighed and found to have been dust in the 
balance; if their sins were as scarlet, they are now 
white as snow; they have been washed in the blood of 
the mediator and redeemer, Time. Observe in what a 
ludicrous chaos the imputations of real or fictitious 
crime have been confused in the contemporary calum- 
nies against poetry and poets; consider how little is as 
it appears — or appears as it is; look to your own mo- 
tives, and judge not, lest ye be judged. 

Longfellow (Theologian's Tale) : 

Not to one church alone, but seven, 
The voice prophetic spoke from heaven; 



184 THE ENGLISH BIBLE 

And unto each the promise came, 

Diversified, but still the same; 

For him that overcometh are 

The new name written on the stone, 

The raiment white, the crown, the throne, 

And I will give him the Morning Star ! 

Matthew Arnold (Essays) : He [Wordsworth] is 
one of the very chief glories of English poetry; and 
by nothing is England so glorious as by her poetry. 
Let us lay aside every weight which hinders our getting 
him recognized as this. 

What we have of Shelley in poetry and prose 
suited with this charming picture of him; Mrs. Shel- 
ley's account suited with it ; it was a possession which 
one would hardly have kept unimpaired. It still sub- 
sists, I must now add; it subsists even after one has 
read the present biography; it subsists, but so as by 
fire. 

It [society] looked in Byron's glass and it looks in 
Lord Beaconfield's, and sees, or fancies that it sees, its 
own face there ; and then it goes its way, and straight- 
way forgets what manner of man it saw. 

Alfred De Vigny: Richelieu was destined ere he 
died to see his policy, his efforts, his sacrifices, fully 
justified by success. Though he was not to enjoy the 
full fruition brought by the treaties of Westphalia and 
of the Pyrenees, yet he had a Pisgah view of the prom- 
ised land. 

Reginald Helper (Palestine) : 

No hammers fell, no ponderous axes rung ; 
Like some tall palm the mystic fabric sprung. 

Cowper (Winter's Morning Walk) : 
Silently as a dream the fabric rose, 
No sound of hammer or of saw was there. 



EXERCISES FOR PRACTICE 185 

The Century (The Tide of Affairs) : The role of an 
eternal Lazarus, however nutritious the crumbs that 
fell from the master's table, seems not to appeal to the 
masses as an inspiring role. 

The Century (The Tide of Affairs) : Even a runner 
might have heard and understood what the candidate 
meant. 

Goethe (Faust) : Consummatum est. 

George H. Martin (Evolution of the Massachusetts 
Public School System) : Master , for twenty- 
eight years at , is a John the Baptist, suggesting 

Elias, or one of the old prophets. He ranks with 
Ezekiel Cheever and Elijah Corlet and after him Nehe- 
miah Cleveland, Eliphalet Pearson, Joseph Emerson, 
Samuel Taylor, and Charles Hammond. There were 
giants in those days. 

Alexander Pope: 

And hence one master passion in the breast, 
Like Aaron's serpent swallows up the rest. 

Whittier (Hymns) : 

Who by Zion's fountains wear 

On their foreheads, white and broad, 

"Holiness unto the Lord!" 

Whittier ("The Human Sacrifice") : 

O thou! at whose rebuke the grave 
Back to warm life its sleeper gave, 
Beneath whose sad and tearful glance 
The cold and changed countenance 
Broke the still horror of the trance, 
And, waking, saw with joy above, 
A brother's face of tenderest love; 
• Thou, unto whom the blind and lame, 
The sorrowing and the sin-sick came, 



186 THE ENGLISH BIBLE 

And from the very garment's hem 
Drew life and healing unto them. 

With that deep voice which from the skies 
Forbade the patriarch's sacrifice, 
God's angel cries, Forbear! 

Shakespeare (King John, Act III, Scene 1, Speech 
of Constance) : Compare his description of a certain 
day with Job 3. 1-9. 



CHAPTER XXV 

PASSAGES FOE SPECIAL STUDY 

The following passages should be carefully studied 
for their literary value. The retaining of many of 
them in memory would constitute a literary asset. 

Genesis 1. 1-5 

In the beginning God created the heaven and the 
earth. 

And the earth was without form, and void ; and dark- 
ness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of 
God moved upon the face of the waters. 

And God said, Let there be light : and there was light. 

And God saw the light, that it was good; and God 
divided the light from the darkness. 

And God called the light Day, and the darkness he 
called Night. 

And the evening and the morning were the first day. 

Numbers 6. 22-27 

And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, Speak unto 
Aaron and unto his sons, saying, On this wise ye shall 
bless the children of Israel, saying unto them, The Lord 
bless thee, and keep thee: 

The Lord make his face shine upon thee, and be 
gracious unto thee: 

The Lord lift up his countenance upon thee, and give 
thee peace. 

And they shall put my name upon the children of 
Israel; and I will bless them. 

Deuteronomy 28. 2-6 
And all these blessings shall come on thee and over- 

187 



188 THE ENGLISH BIBLE 

take thee, if thou shalt hearken unto the voice of the 
Lord thy God. 

Blessed shalt thou be in the city, and blessed shalt 
thou be in the field. 

Blessed shall be the fruit of thy body, and the fruit 
of thy ground, and the fruit of thy cattle, the increase 
of thy kine, and the flocks of thy sheep. 

Blessed shall be thy basket and thy store. Blessed 
shalt thou be when thou comest in, and blessed shalt 
thou be when thou goest out. 

Judges 5. 1-31 
(Printed in Chapter 18.) 

Ruth 1. 16-17 

And Buth said, Intreat me not to leave thee, or to 
return from following after thee: for whither thou 
goest, I will go ; and where thou lodgest, I will lodge ; 
thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God : 

Where thou diest, will I die, and there will I be 
buried : the Lord do so to me, and more also, if ought 
but death part thee and me. 

1 Samuel 17. 38-51 

And Saul armed David with his armor, and he put 
an helmet of brass upon his head; also he armed him 
with a coat of mail. And David girded his sword upon 
his armor, and he essayed to go; for he had not proved 
it. And David said unto Saul, I cannot go with these ; 
for I have not proved them. And David put them off 
him. 

And he took his staff in his hand, and chose him five 
smooth stones out of the brook, and put them in a 
shepherd's bag which he had, even in a scrip ; and his 
sling was in his hand : and he drew near to the Philis- 
tine. 

And the Philistine came on and drew near unto 



PASSAGES FOR SPECIAL STUDY 189 

David; and the man that bare the shield went before 
him. 

And when the Philistine looked about, and saw 
David, he disdained him : for he was but a youth, and 
ruddy, and of a fair countenance. 

And the Philistine said unto David, Am I a dog, that 
thou comest to me with staves? And the Philistine 
cursed David by his gods. And the Philistine said to 
David, Come to me, and I will give thy flesh unto the 
fowls of the air, and to the beasts of the field. 

Then said David to the Philistine, Thou comest to 
me with a sword, and with a spear, and with a shield : 
but I come to thee in the name of the Lord of 
hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom thou hast 
defied. 

This day will the Lord deliver thee into mine hand ; 
and I will smite thee, and take thine head from thee; 
and I will give the carcases of the host of the Philis- 
tines this day unto the fowls of the air, and to the 
wild beasts of the earth; that all the earth may know 
that there is a God in Israel. 

And all this assembly shall know that the Lord 
saveth not with sword and spear : for the battle is the 
Lord's, and he will give you into our hands. 

And it came to pass, when the Philistine arose, and 
came and drew nigh to meet David, that David hasted, 
and ran toward the army to meet the Philistine. 

And David put his hand in his bag, and took thence 
a stone, and slang it, and smote the Philistine in his 
forehead, that the stone sunk into his forehead; and 
he fell upon his face to the earth. 

So David prevailed over the Philistine with a sling 
and with a stone, and smote the Philistine and slew 
him ; but there was no sword in the hand of David. 

Therefore David ran, and stood upon the Philistine, 
and took his sword, and drew it out of the sheath 
thereof, and slew him, and cut off his head therewith. 



190 THE ENGLISH BIBLE 

And when the Philistines saw their champion was dead, 
they fled. 

2 Samuel 1. 17-27 

And David lamented with this lamentation over 
Saul and wer Jonathan his son: 

(Also he bade them teach the children of Judah the 
use of the bow: behold, it is written in the book of 
Jasher.) 

The beauty of Israel is slain upon thy high places : 
how are the mighty fallen! 

Tell it not in Gath, publish it not in the streets of 
Askelon; lest the daughters of the Philistines rejoice, 
lest the daughters of the uncircumcised triumph. . 

Ye mountains of Gilboa, let there be no dew, neither 
let there be rain, upon you, nor fields of offerings ; for 
there the shield of the mighty is vilely cast away, the 
shield of Saul, as though he had not been anointed 
with oil. 

From the blood of the slain, from the fat of the 
mighty, the bow of Jonathan turned not back, and the 
sword of Saul returned not empty. 

Saul and Jonathan were lovely and pleasant in their 
lives, and in their death they were not divided: they 
were swifter than eagles, they were stronger than lions. 

Ye daughters of Israel, weep over Saul, who clothed 
you in scarlet, with other delights, who put on orna- 
ments of gold upon your apparel. 

How are the mighty fallen in the midst of the battle ! 
O Jonathan, thou wast slain in thine high places. 

I am distressed for thee, my brother Jonathan : very 
pleasant hast thou been unto me: thy love to me was 
wonderful, passing the love of women. 

How are the mighty fallen, and the weapons of war 
perished ! 

2 Samuel 18, 33 

And the king was much moved, and went up to the 



PASSAGES FOR SPECIAL STUDY 191 

chamber over the gate, and wept : and as he went, thus 
he said, O my son Absalom, my son, my son Absalom ! 
would God I had died for thee, O Absalom, my son, my 
son! 

1 Kings 8. 22-30 

And Solomon stood before the altar of the Lord in 
the presence of all the congregation of Israel, and 
spread forth his hands toward heaven : 

And he said, Lord God of Israel, there is no God 
like thee, in heaven above, or on earth beneath, who 
keepest covenant and mercy with thy servants that 
walk before thee with all their heart: Who hast kept 
with thy servant David my father that thou promis- 
edst him : thou spakest also with thy mouth, and hast 
fulfilled it with thine hand, as it is this day. 

Therefore now, Lord God of Israel, keep with thy 
servant David my father that thou promisedst him, 
saying, There shall not fail thee a man in my sight to 
sit on the throne of Israel : so that thy children take 
heed to their way, that they walk before me as thou 
hast walked before me. 

And now, O God of Israel, let thy word, I pray thee, 
be verified, which thou spakest unto thy servant David 
my father. 

But will God indeed dwell on the earth? behold, the 
heaven and heaven of heavens cannot contain thee; how 
much less this house that I have builded? 

Yet have thou respect unto the prayer of thy servant, 
and to his supplication, O Lord my God, to hearken 
unto the cry and to the prayer, which thy servant pray- 
eth before thee to-day : 

That thine eyes may be open toward this house night 
and day, even toward the place of which thou hast said, 
My name shall be there: that thou mayest hearken 
unto the prayer which thy servant shall make toward 
this place. And hearken thou to the supplication of 



192 THE ENGLISH BIBLE 

thy servant, and of thy people Israel, when they shall 
pray toward this place; and hear thou in heaven thy 
dwelling place : and when thou hearest, forgive. 

Eliphaz (Job 4. 13-17) : 
In thoughts from the visions of the night, 
When deep sleep falleth on men, 
Fear came upon me, and trembling, 
Which made all my bones to shake. 
Then a spirit passed before my face; 
The hair of my flesh stood up : 

It stood still, but I could not discern the form thereof : 
An image was before mine eyes, 
There was silence, and I heard a voice, saying, 
Shall mortal man be more just than God? 
Shall a man be more pure than his Maker? 

Zophar (Job 11. 7-10) : 
Canst thou by searching find out God? 
Canst thou find out the Almighty unto perfection? 
It is as high as heaven; what canst thou do? 
Deeper than hell; what canst thou know? 
The measure thereof is longer than the earth, 
And broader than the sea. 
If he cut off, and shut up, or gather together, 
Then who can hinder him? 

Job (Job 14. 1-12) : 
Man that is born of a woman 
Is of few days, and full of trouble. 
He cometh forth like a flower, and is cut down : 
He fleeth also as a shadow, and continueth not. 

For there is hope of a tree, 

If it be cut down, that it will sprout again, 

And that the tender branch thereof will not cease. 

Though the root thereof wax old in the earth, 

And the stock thereof die in the ground; 



PASSAGES FOR SPECIAL STUDY 193 

Yet through the scent of water it will bud, 

And bring forth boughs like a plant. 

But man dieth, and wasteth away: 

Yea, man giveth up the ghost, and where is he? 

As the waters fail from the sea, 

And the flood decayeth and drieth up: 

So man lieth down, and riseth not: 

Till the heavens be no more, they shall not awake, 

Nor be raised out of their sleep. 

Job (Job 28. 12-28) : 

But where shall wisdom be found ? 

And where is the place of understanding? 

Man knoweth not the price thereof ; 

Neither is it found in the land of the living. 

The depth saith, It is not in me : 

And the sea saith, It is not with me. 

It cannot be gotten for gold, 

Neither shall silver be weighed for the price thereof. 

It cannot be valued with the gold of Ophir, 

With the precious onyx, or the sapphire. 

The gold and the crystal cannot equal it: 

And the exchange of it shall not be for jewels of fine 

gold. 
No mention shall be made of coral, or of pearls: 
For the price of wisdom is above rubies. 
The topaz of Ethiopia shall not equal it, 
Neither shall it be valued with pure gold. 
Whence then cometh wisdom? 
And where is the place of understanding? 
Seeing it is hid from the eyes of all living, 
And kept close from the fowls of the air. 
Destruction and death say, 
We have heard the fame thereof with our ears. 
God understandeth the way thereof, 
And he knoweth the place thereof. 
For he looketh to the ends of the earth, 



194 THE ENGLISH BIBLE 

And seeth under the whole heaven; 

To make the weight for the winds 

And he weigheth the waters by measure. 

When he made a decree for the rain, 

And a way for the lightning of the thunder: 

Then did he see it, and declare it; 

He prepared it, yea, and searched it out. 

And unto man he said, Behold, the fear of the Lord, 

that is wisdom; 
And to depart from evil is understanding. 

The Voice of the Lord (Job 38. 4-11) : 

Declare, if thou hast understanding. 

Who hath laid the measures thereof, if thou knowest? 

Or who hath stretched the line upon it? 

Whereupon are the foundations thereof fastened? 

Or who laid the corner stone thereof ; 

When the morning stars sang together, 

And all the sons of God shouted for joy? 

Or who shut up the sea with doors, 

When it brake forth, as if it had issued out of the 

womb? 
When I made the cloud the garment thereof, 
And thick darkness a swaddling band for it, 
And brake up for it my decreed place, 
And set bars and doors, 

And said, Hitherto shalt thou come, but no further: 
And here shall thy proud waves be stayed? 

Psalm 1 

Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel 
of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor 
sitteth in the seat of the scornful. 

But his delight is in the law of the Lord ; and in his 
law doth he meditate day and night. 

And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of 
water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his 



PASSAGES FOR SPECIAL STUDY 195 

leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth 
shall prosper. 

The ungodly are not so, but are like the chaff which 
the wind driveth away. 

Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the 
judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the 
righteous. 

For the Lord knoweth the way of the righteous : but 
the way of the ungodly shall perish. 

Psalm 2 

Why do the heathen rage, and the people imagine a 
vain thing? 

The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers 
take counsel together, against the Lord^ and against 
his anointed, saying, 

Let us break their bands asunder and cast away their 
cords from us. 

He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh : the Lord 
shall have them in derision.* 

Then shall he speak unto them in his wrath, and vex 
them in his sore displeasure. 

Yet have I set my king upon my holy hill of Zion. 

I will declare the decree: the Lord hath said unto 
me, Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten 
thee. 

Ask of me, and I shall give thee the heathen for thine 
inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for 
thy possession. 

Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron : thou shalt 
dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel. 

Be wise now therefore, O ye kings ; be instructed, ye 
judges of the earth. 

Serve the Lord with fear, and rejoice with trembling. 

Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and ye perish from 
the way, when his wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed 
are all they that put their trust in him. 



196 THE ENGLISH BIBLE 



Psalm 19 



The heavens declare the glory of God ; and the firma- 
ment showeth his handywork. 

Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night 
showeth knowledge. 

There is no speech nor language, where their voice 
is not heard. 

Their line is gone out through all the earth, and their 
words to the end of the world. In them hath he set a 
tabernacle for the sun, 

Which is as a bridegroom coming out of his chamber, 
and rejoiceth as a strong man to run a race. 

His going forth is from the end of the heaven, and 
his circuit unto the ends of it : and there is nothing hid 
from the heat thereof. 

The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul : 
the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the 
simple. 

The statutes of the Lord are right, rejoicing the 
heart : the commandment of the Lord is pure, enlighten- 
ing the eyes. 

The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring for ever : the 
judgments of the Lord are true and righteous alto- 
gether. 

More to be desired are they than gold, yea, than much 
fine gold: sweeter also than honey and the honey- 
comb. 

Moreover by them is thy servant warned: and in 
keeping of them there is great reward. 

Who can understand his errors? cleanse thou me 
from secret faults. 

Keep back thy servant also from presumptuous sins ; 
let them not have dominion over me: then shall I be 
upright, and I shall be innocent from the great trans- 
gression. 

Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of 



PASSAGES FOR SPECIAL STUDY 197 

my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord, my 
strength, and my redeemer. 

Psalm 23 

The Lord is my shepherd ; I shall not want. 

He maketh me to lie down in green pastures : he lead- 
eth me beside the still waters. 

He restoreth my soul : he leadeth me in the paths of 
righteousness for his name's sake. 

Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow 
of death, I will fear no evil : for thou art with me ; thy 
rod and thy staff they comfort me. 

Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of 
mine enemies : thou anointest my head with oil ; my cup 
runneth over. 

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the 
days of my life; and I will dwell in the house of the 
Lord for ever. 

Psalm 2k 

The earth is the Lord's, and the fullness thereof; the 
world, and they that dwell therein. 

For he hath founded it upon the seas, and established 
it upon the floods. 

Who shall ascend into the hill of the Lord? or who 
shall stand in his holy place? 

He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart; who 
hath not lifted up his soul unto vanity ; nor sworn de- 
ceitfully. 

He shall receive the blessing from the Lord, and 
righteousness from the God of his salvation. 

This is the generation of them that seek him, that 
seek thy face, O Jacob. 

Lift up your heads, O ye gates ; and be ye lift up, ye 
everlasting doors ; and the King of glory shall come in. 

Who is this King of glory? The Lord strong and 
mighty, the Lord mighty in battle. 



198 THE ENGLISH BIBLE 

Lift up your heads, O ye gates ; even lift them up, ye 
everlasting doors ; and the King of glory shall come in. 

Who is this King of glory? The Lord of hosts, he 
is the King of glory. 

Psalm Jf6 

God is our refuge and strength, a very present help 
in trouble. 

Therefore will not we fear, though the earth be re- 
moved, and though the mountains be carried into the 
midst of the sea; 

Though the waters thereof roar and be troubled, 
though the mountains shake with the swelling thereof. 

There is a river, the streams whereof shall make glad 
the city of God, the holy place of the tabernacles of the 
most High. 

God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved: 
God shall help her, and that right early. 

The heathen raged, the kingdoms were moved: he 
uttered his voice, the earth melted. 

The Lord of hosts is with us ; the God of Jacob is our 
refuge. 

Come, behold the works of the Lord, what desola- 
tions he hath made in the earth. 

He maketh wars to cease unto the end of the earth; 
he breaketh the bow, and cutteth the spear in sunder; 
he burneth the chariot in the fire. 

Be still, and know that I am God : I will be exalted 
among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth. 

The Lord of hosts is with us : the God of Jacob is our 
refuge. 

Psalm 67 

God be merciful unto us, and bless us ; and cause his 
face to shine upon us. 

That thy way may be known upon earth, thy saving 
health among all nations. 



PASSAGES FOR SPECIAL STUDY 199 

Let the people praise thee, O God ; let all the people 
praise thee. 

O let the nations be glad and sing for joy : for thou 
shalt judge the people righteously, and govern the na- 
tions upon earth. 

Let the people praise thee, O God; let all the people 
praise thee. 

Then shall the earth yield her increase; and God, 
even our own God, shall bless us. 

God shall bless us ; and all the ends of the earth sliall 
fear him. 

Psalm 84 

How amiable are thy tabernacles, O Lord of hosts! 

My soul lougeth, yea, even fainteth for the courts of 
the Lord : my heart and my flesh crieth out for the 
living God. 

Yea, the sparrow hath found an house, and the 
swallow a nest for herself, where she may lay her 
young, even thine altars, O Lord of hosts, my King, 
and my God. 

Blessed are they that dwell in thy house : they will be 
still praising thee. 

Blessed is the man whose strength is in thee; in 
whose heart are the ways of them. 

Who passing through the valley of Baca make it a 
well; the rain also filleth the pools. 

They go from strength to strength, every one of them 
in Zion appeareth before God. 

O Lord God of hosts, hear my prayer : give ear, O God 
of Jacob. 

Behold, O God our shield, and look upon the face of 
thine anointed. 

For a day in thy courts is better than a thousand. I 
had rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God, 
than to dwell in the tents of wickedness. 

For the Lord God is a sun and shield : the Lord will 



200 THE ENGLISH BIBLE 

give grace and glory: no good thing will he withhold 

from them that walk uprightly. 

O Lord of hosts, blessed is the man that trusteth in 

thee. 

Psalm 90 

Lord, thou hast been our dwelling place in all genera- 
tions. 

Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever 
thou hadst formed the earth and the world, even from 
everlasting to everlasting, thou art God. 

Thou turnest man to destruction; and sayest, Re- 
turn, ye children of men. 

For a thousand years in thy sight are but as yester- 
day when it is past, and as a watch in the night. 

Thou carriest them away as with a flood ; they are as 
a sleep : in the morning they are like grass which grow- 
eth up. 

In the morning it flourisheth, and groweth up: in 
the evening it is cut down, and withereth. 

For we are consumed by thy anger, and by thy wrath 
are we troubled. 

Thou hast set our iniquities before thee, our secret 
sins in the light of thy countenance. 

For all our days are passed away in thy wrath : we 
spend our years as a tale that is told. 

The days of our years are three-score years and ten ; 
and if by reason of strength they be four-score years, 
yet is their strength labor and sorrow; for it is soon 
cut off, and we fly away. 

Who knoweth the power of thine anger? even accord- 
ing to thy fear, so is thy wrath. 

So teach us to number our days, that we may apply 
our hearts unto wisdom. 

Return, O Lord, how long? and let it repent thee con- 
cerning thy servants. 

O satisfy us early with thy mercy; that we may re- 
joice and be glad all our days. 



PASSAGES FOR SPECIAL STUDY 201 

Make us glad according to the days wherein thou 
hast afflicted us, and the years wherein we have seen 
evil. 

Let thy work appear unto thy servants, and thy 
glory unto their children. 

And let the beauty of the Lord our God be upon us : 
and establish thou the work of our hands upon us : yea, 
the work of our hands establish thou it. 

Psalm 91 

He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High 
shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. 

I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my for- 
tress : my God ; in him will I trust. 

Surely he shall deliver thee from the snare of the 
fowler, and from the noisome pestilence. 

He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his 
wings shalt thou trust: his truth shall be thy shield 
and buckler. 

Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night ; nor 
for the arrow that flieth by day ; 

Nor for the pestilence that walketh in darkness; nor 
for the destruction that wasteth at noonday. 

A thousand shall fall at thy side and ten thousand 
at thy right hand; but it shall not come nigh thee. 

Only with thine eyes shalt thou behold and see the 
reward of the wicked. 

Because thou hast made the Lord, which is my 
refuge, even the most High, thy habitation; 

There shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any 
plague come nigh thy dwelling. 

For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep 
thee in all thy ways. 

They shall bear thee up in their hands, lest thou dash 
thy foot against a stone. 

Thou shalt tread upon the lion and adder : the young 
lion and the dragon shalt thou trample under feet. 



202 THE ENGLISH BIBLE 

Because he hath set his love upon me, therefore will 
I deliver him : I will set him on high, because he hath 
known my name. 

He shall call upon me, and I will answer him : I will 
be with him in trouble; I will deliver him, and honor 
him. 

With long life will I satisfy him, and show him my 
salvation. 

Psalm 103 

Bless the Lord, O my soul : and all that is within me, 
bless his holy name. 

Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his 
benefits : 

Who forgiveth all thine iniquities, who healeth all 
thy diseases : 

Who redeemeth thy life from destruction ; who 
crowneth thee with lovingkindness and tender 
mercies ; 

Who satisfieth thy mouth with good things; so that 
thy youth is renewed like the eagle's. 

The Lord executeth righteousness and judgment for 
all that are oppressed. 

He made known his ways unto Moses, his acts unto 
the children of Israel. 

The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, 
and plenteous in mercy. 

He will not always chide: neither will he keep his 
anger for ever. 

He hath not dealt with us after our sins; nor re- 
warded us according to our iniquities. 

For as the heaven is high above the earth, so great 
is his mercy toward them that fear him. 

As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he 
removed our transgressions from us. 

Like as a father pitieth his children, so the Lord 
pitieth them that fear him. 



PASSAGES FOR SPECIAL STUDY 203 

For he knoweth our frame ; he remembereth that we 
are dust. 

As for man, his days are as grass ; as a flower of the 
field, so he flourisheth. 

For the wind passeth over it, and it is gone ; and the 
place thereof shall know it no more. 

But the mercy of the Lord is from everlasting to ever- 
lasting upon them that fear him, and his righteousness 
unto children's children; 

To such as keep his covenant, and to those that re- 
member his commandments to do them. 

The Lord hath prepared his throne in the heavens; 
and his kingdom ruleth over all. 

Bless the Lord, ye his angels, that excel in strength, 
that do his commandments, hearkening unto the voice 
of his word. 

Bless ye the Lord, all ye his hosts; ye ministers of 
his, that do his pleasure. 

Bless ye the Lord, all his works in all places of his 
dominion ; bless the Lord, O my soul. 

Psalm 119. 1-16 

Blessed are the undefiled in the way, who walk in the 
law of the Lord. 

Blessed are they that keep his testimonies, and that 
seek him with the whole heart. 

They also do no iniquity : they walk in his ways. 

Thou hast commanded us to keep thy precepts dili- 
gently. 

that my ways were directed to keep thy statutes ! 
Then shall I not be ashamed, when I have respect 

unto all thy commandments. 

1 will praise thee with uprightness of heart, when I 
shall have learned thy righteous judgments. I will 
keep thy statutes: O forsake me not utterly. 

Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? by 
taking heed thereto according to thy word. 



204 THE ENGLISH BIBLE 

With my whole heart have I sought thee: O let me 
not wander from thy commandments. 

Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not 
sin against thee. 

Blessed art thou, O Lord : teach me thy statutes. 

With my lips have I declared all the judgments of 
thy mouth. 

I have rejoiced in the way of thy testimonies, as much 
as in all riches. 

I will meditate in thy precepts, and have respect 
unto thy ways. 

I will delight myself in thy statutes : I will not for- 
get thy word. 

Psalm 121 

I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence 
cometh my help. 

My help cometh from the Lord, which made heaven 
and earth. 

He will not suffer thy foot to be moved : he that keep- 
eth thee will not slumber. 

Behold, he that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber 
nor sleep. 

The Lord is thy keeper: the Lord is thy shade upon 
thy right hand. 

The sun shall not smite thee by day, nor the moon 
by night. 

The Lord shall preserve thee from all evil : he shall 
preserve thy soul. 

The Lord shall preserve thy going out and thy coming 
in from this time forth, and even for evermore. 

Psalm 133 

Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren 
to dwell together in unity! 

It is like the precious ointment upon the head, that 
ran down upon the beard, even Aaron's beard: that 
went down to the skirts of his garments; 



PASSAGES FOR SPECIAL STUDY 205 

As the dew of Hermon, and as the dew that descended 
upon the mountains of Zion: for there the Lord com- 
manded the blessing, even life for evermore. 

Proverbs 8. 1-11 

Doth not wisdom cry? and understanding put forth 
her voice? 

She standeth in the top of high places, by the way 
in the places of the paths. 

She crieth at the gates, at the entry of the city, at 
the coming in at the doors. 

Unto you, O men, I call ; and my voice is to the sons 
of man. 

ye simple, understand wisdom : and, ye fools, be ye 
of an understanding heart. 

Hear: for I will speak of excellent things: and the 
opening of my lips shall be right things. 

For my mouth shall speak truth; and wickedness 
is an abomination to my lips. 

All the words of my mouth are in righteousness; 
there is nothing froward or perverse in them. 

They are all plain to him that understandeth, and 
right to them that find knowledge. 

Receive my instruction, and not silver; and knowl- 
edge rather than choice gold. 

For wisdom is better than rubies; and all the things 
that may be desired are not to be compared to it. 

1 wisdom dwell with prudence, and find out knowl- 
edge of witty inventions. 

The fear of the Lord is to hate evil : pride, and arro- 
gancy, and the evil way, and the froward mouth, do I 
hate. 

Counsel is mine, and sound wisdom: I am under- 
standing ; I have strength. 

By me kings reign, and princes decree justice. 

By me princes rule, and nobles, even all the judges 
of the earth. 



206 THE ENGLISH BIBLE 

I love them that love me: and those that seek me 
early shall find me. 

Proverbs 9. 1-6 

Wisdom hath builded her house, she hath hewn out 
her seven pillars: 

She hath killed her beasts; she hath mingled her 
wine ; she hath also furnished her table. 

She hath sent forth her maidens : she crieth upon the 
highest places of the city, 

Whoso is simple, let him turn in hither: as for him 
that wanteth understanding, she saith to him, Come, 
eat of my bread, and drink of the wine which I have 
mingled. 

Forsake the foolish and live; and go in the way of 
understanding. 

Ecclesiastes 2. 1-11 

I said in mine heart, Go to now, I will prove thee 
with mirth, therefore enjoy pleasure: and, behold, this 
also is vanity. I said of laughter, It is mad: and of 
mirth, What doeth it? 

I sought in mine heart to give myself unto wine, yet 
acquainting mine heart with wisdom ; and to lay hold 
on folly, till I might see what was that good for the 
sons of men, which they should do under the heaven all 
the days of their life. 

I made me great works; I builded me houses; I 
planted me vineyards; I made me gardens and 
orchards, and I planted trees in them of all kinds of 
fruits : 

I made me pools of water, to water therewith the 
wood that bringeth forth trees: 

I got me servants and maidens, and had servants 
born in my house ; also I had great possessions of great 
and small cattle above all that were in Jerusalem be- 
fore me: I gathered me also silver and gold, and the 



PASSAGES FOE SPECIAL STUDY 207 

peculiar treasure of kings and of the provinces: I gat 
me men singers and women singers, and the delights 
of the sons of men, as musical instruments, and that 
of all sorts. 

So I was great, and increased more than all that 
were before me in Jerusalem : also my wisdom remained 
with me. 

And whatsoever mine eyes desired I kept not from 
them, I withheld not my heart from any joy; for my 
heart rejoiced in all my labor : and this was my portion 
of all my labor. 

Then I looked on all the works that my hands had 
wrought, and on the labor that I had labored to do: 
and, behold, all was vanity and vexation of spirit, and 
there was no profit under the sun. 

Ecclesiastes 12. 1-14 

Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth, 
while the evil days come not, nor the years draw nigh, 
when thou shalt say, I have no pleasure in them ; 

While the sun, or the light, or the moon, or the stars, 
be not darkened, nor the clouds return after the 
rain: 

In the day when the keepers of the house shall trem- 
ble, and the strong men shall bow themselves, and the 
grinders cease because they are few, and those that 
look out of the windows be darkened. 

And the doors shall be shut in the streets, when the 
sound of the grinding is low, and he shall rise up at 
the voice of the bird, and all the daughters of music 
shall be brought low; 

Also when they shall be afraid of that which is high, 
and fears shall be in the way, and the almond tree 
shall flourish, and the grasshopper shall be a burden, 
and desire shall fail : because man goeth to his long 
home, and the mourners go about the streets : 



208 THE ENGLISH BIBLE 

Or ever the silver cord be loosed, or the golden bowl 
be broken, or the pitcher be broken at the fountain, or 
the wheel broken at the cistern. 

Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: 
and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it. 

Vanity of vanities, saith the preacher; all is vanity. 

And moreover, because the preacher was wise, lie 
still taught the people knowledge; yea, he gave good 
heed, and sought out, and set in order many proverbs. 

The preacher sought to find out acceptable words : 
and that which was written was upright, even words 
of truth. 

The words of the wise are as goads, and as nails fas- 
tened by masters of assemblies, which are given from 
one shepherd. 

And further, by these, my son, be admonished: of 
making many books there is no end ; and much study is 
a weariness of the flesh. 

Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter : Fear 
God, and keep his commandments : for this is the whole 
duty of man. 

For God shall bring every work into judgment, with 
every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it 
be evil. 

Song of Solomon 7. 10-13 

I am my beloved's, and his desire is toward me. 

Come, my beloved, let us go forth into the field; let 
us lodge in the villages. 

Let us get up early to the vineyards; let us see if 
the vine flourish, whether the tender grape appear, and 
the pomegranates bud forth : there will I give thee my 
loves. 

The mandrakes give a smell, and at our gates are all 
manner of pleasant fruits, new and old, which I have 
laid up for thee, O my beloved. 



PASSAGES FOR SPECIAL STUDY 209 

Isaiah 35. 5-10 

Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the 
ears of the deaf shall be unstopped. 

Then shall the lame man leap as an hart, and the 
tongue of the dumb sing: for in the wilderness shall 
waters break out, and streams in the desert. 

And the parched ground shall become a pool, and the 
thirsty land springs of water: in the habitation of 
dragons, where each lay, shall be grass with reeds and 
rushes. 

And an highway shall be there, and a way, and it 
shall be called The way of holiness; the unclean shall 
not pass over it ; but it shall be for those : the wayfar- 
ing men, though fools, shall not err therein. 

No lion shall be there, nor any ravenous beast shall 
go up thereon, it shall not be found there; but the re- 
deemed shall walk there : 

And the ransomed of the Lord shall return, and come 
to Zion with songs and everlasting joy upon their 
heads: they shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow 
and sighing shall flee away. 

Isaiah 40. 1-8 

Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, saith your God. 

Speak ye comfortably to Jerusalem and cry unto 
her, that her warfare is accomplished, that her iniquity 
is pardoned: for she hath received of the Lord's hand 
double for all her sins. 

The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Pre- 
pare ye the way of the Lord, make straight in the 
desert a highway for our God. 

Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain 
and hill shall be made low: and the crooked shall be 
made straight, and the rough places plain: 

And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all 
flesh shall see it together: for the mouth of the Lord 
hath spoken it. 



210 THE ENGLISH BIBLE 

The voice said, Cry. And he said, What shall I cry? 
All flesh is grass, and all the goodliness thereof is as 
the flower of the field : 

The grass withereth, the flower fadeth; because the 
spirit of the Lord bloweth upon it: surely the people 
is grass. 

The grass withereth, the flower fadeth : but the word 
of our God shall stand for ever. 

Isaiah 40. 28-31 

Hast thou not known ? hast thou not heard, that the 
everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of 
the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? there is no 
searching of his understanding. 

He giveth power to the faint ; and to them that have 
no might he increaseth strength. 

Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the 
young men shall utterly fall : 

But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their 
strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; 
they shall run, and not be weary ; and they shall walk, 
and not faint. 

Isaiah 42. 7-10 

To open the blind eyes, to bring out the prisoners 
from the prison, and them that sit in darkness out of 
the prison house. 

I am the Lord; that is my name: and my glory will 
I not give to another, neither my praise to graven 
images. 

Behold, the former things are come to pass, and new 
things do I declare : before they spring forth I tell you 
of them. 

Sing unto the Lord a new song, and his praise from 
the end of the earth, ye that go down to the sea, and 
all that is therein; the isles, and the inhabitants 
thereof. 



PASSAGES FOR SPECIAL STUDY 211 

Isaiah 53. 6-9 

All we like sheep have gone astray ; we have turned 
every one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on 
him the iniquity of us all. 

He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened 
not his mouth : he is brought as a lamb to the slaugh- 
ter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he 
openeth not his mouth. 

He was taken from prison and from judgment: and 
who shall declare his generation? for he was cut off 
out of the land of the living: for the transgression of 
my people was he stricken. 

And he made his grave with the wicked, and with the 
rich in his death; because he had done no violence, 
neither was any deceit in his mouth. 

Isaiah 55. 1-13 

Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, 
and he that hath no money; come ye, buy, and eat; 
yea, come, buy wine and milk without money and with- 
out price. 

Wherefore do ye spend money for that which is not 
bread? and your labor for that which satisfieth not? 
hearken diligently unto me, and eat ye that which is 
good, and let your soul delight itself in fatness. 

Incline your ear, and come unto me : hear, and your 
soul shall live; and I will make an everlasting covenant 
with you, even the sure mercies of David. 

Behold, I have given him for a witness to the people, 
a leader and commander to the people. 

Behold, thou shalt call a nation that thou knowest 
not, and nations that knew not thee shall run unto thee 
because of the Lord thy God, and for the Holy One of 
Israel : for he hath glorified thee. 

Seek ye the Lord while he may be found, call ye upon 
him while he is near: 

Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous 



212 THE ENGLISH BIBLE 

man his thoughts: and let him return unto the Lord, 
and he will have mercy upon him ; and to our God, for 
he will abundantly pardon. 

For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are 
your ways my ways, saith the Lord. 

For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are 
my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than 
your thoughts. 

For as the rain cometh down, and the snow from 
heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the 
earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may 
give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater, 

So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my 
mouth : it shall not return unto me void, but it shall 
accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper 
in the thing whereto I sent it. 

For ye shall go out with joy, and be led forth with 
peace: the mountains and the hills shall break forth 
before you into singing, and all the trees of the field 
shall clap their hands. 

Instead of the thorn shall come up the fir tree, and 
instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle tree : and 
it shall be to the Lord for a name, for an everlasting 
sign that shall not be cut off. 

Rosea U. 4-7 

I will heal their backsliding, I will love them freely : 
for mine anger is turned away from him. I will be as 
the dew unto Israel : he shall grow as the lily, and cast 
forth his roots as Lebanon. 

His branches shall spread, and his beauty shall be 
as the olive tree, and his smell as Lebanon. 

They that dwell under his shadow shall return ; they 
shall revive as the corn, and grow as the vine: the 
scent thereof shall be as the wine of Lebanon. 

Malaclii 4. 1-3 
For, behold, the day cometh, that shall burn as an 



PASSAGES FOR SPECIAL STUDY 213 

oven ; and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, 
shall be stubble: and the day that eometh shall burn 
them up, saith the Lord of hosts, that it shall leave 
them neither root nor branch. 

But unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of 
righteousness arise with healing in his wings; and ye 
shall go forth, and grow up as calves of the stall. 

And ye shall tread down the wicked; for they shall 
be ashes under the soles of your feet in the day that I 
shall do this, saith the Lord of hosts. 

Matthew 7. 24-27 

Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, 
and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, 
which built his house upon a rock: 

And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the 
winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: 
for it was founded upon a rock. 

And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, 
and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, 
which built his house upon the sand : 

And the rain descended, and the floods came, and 
the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: 
and great was the fall of it. 

This passage is selected from the Sermon on the 
Mount because it seems to sum up the discourse. The 
entire passage (chapters 5-7) has the highest literary 
value. See the statement by Senator Beveridge, Intro- 
duction. 

Mattheiv 16. 1-4 

The Pharisees also with the Sadducees came, and 
tempting desired him that he would show them a sign 
from heaven. 

He answered and said unto them, When it is eve- 
ning, ye say, It will be fair weather: for the sky is red. 

And in the morning, It will be foul weather to day : 
for the sky is red and lowering. O ye hypocrites, ye 



214 THE ENGLISH BIBLE 

can discern the face of the sky ; but can ye not discern 
the signs of the times? 

A wicked and adulterous generation seeketh after 
a sign ; and there shall no sign be given unto it, but the 
sign of the prophet Jonas. And he left them, and de- 
parted. 

Matthew 22. 15-21 

Then went the Pharisees, and took counsel how they 
might entangle him in his talk. 

And they sent out unto him their disciples with the 
Herodians, saying, Master, we know that thou art true, 
and teachest the way of God in truth, neither carest 
thou for any man : for thou regardest not the person of 
men. 

Tell us therefore, What thinkest thou? Is it lawful 
to give tribute unto Caesar, or not? 

But Jesus perceived their wickedness, and said, Why 
tempt ye me, ye hypocrites? 

Show me the tribute money. And they brought unto 
him a penny. 

And he saith unto them, Whose is this image and 
superscription ? 

They say unto him, Caesar's. Then saith he unto 
them, Bender therefore unto Caesar the things which 
are Caesar's; and unto God the things that are God's. 

Mark 8. 34-38 

And when he had called the people unto him with 
his disciples also, he said unto them, Whosoever will 
come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his 
cross, and follow me. 

For whosoever will save his life shall lose it; but 
whosoever shall lose his life for my sake and the gos- 
pel's, the same shall save it. 

For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the 
whole world, and lose his own soul? 

Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul? 



PASSAGES FOR SPECIAL STUDY 215 

Whosoever therefore shall be ashamed of me and of 
my words in this adulterous and sinful generation; 
of him also shall the Son of man be ashamed, when 
he cometh in the glory of his Father with the holy 
angels. 

Mark 16. 1-8 

And when the Sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, 
and Mary the mother of James, and Salome, had bought 
sweet spices, that they might come and anoint him. 

And very early in the morning of the first day of the 
week, they came unto the sepulcher at the rising of 
the sun. 

And they said among themselves, Who shall roll us 
away the stone from the door of the sepulcher? And 
when they looked, they saw that the stone was rolled 
away: for it was very great. 

And entering into the sepulcher, they saw a young 
man sitting on the right side, clothed in a long white 
garment; and they were affrighted. 

And he saith unto them, Be not affrighted : Ye seek 
Jesus of Nazareth, which was crucified : he is risen ; 
he is not here: behold the place where they laid him. 
But go your way, tell his disciples and Peter that he 
goeth before you into Galilee: there shall ye see him, 
as he said unto you. 

And they went out quickly, and fled from the sepul- 
cher; for they trembled and were amazed: neither 
said they anything to any man ; for they were afraid. 

Luke 10. 25-37 
(See Chapter XIX.) 

Luke 15. 11-24 
And he said, A certain man had two sons : 
And the younger of them said to his father, Father, 

give me the portion of goods that falleth to me. And 

he divided unto them his living. 



216 THE ENGLISH BIBLE 

And not many days after the younger son gathered 
all together and took his journey into a far country, 
and there wasted his substance with riotous living. 

And when he had spent all, there arose a mighty 
famine in that land ; and he began to be in want. 

And he went and joined himself to a citizen of that 
country ; and he sent him into his fields to feed swine. 

And he would fain have filled his belly with the 
husks that the swine did eat: and no man gave unto 
him. 

And when he came to himself, he said, How many 
hired servants of my father's have bread enough and 
to spare, and I perish with hunger! 

I will arise and go to my father, and will say unto 
him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before 
thee, 

And am no more worthy to be called thy son : make 
me as one of thy hired servants. 

And he arose, and came to his father. But when he 
was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had 
compassion, and ran and fell on his neck, and kissed 
him. 

And the son said unto him, Father, I have sinned 
against heaven, and in thy sight, and am no more 
worthy to be called thy son. 

But the father said to his servants, Bring forth the 
best robe, and put it on him; and put a ring on his 
hand, and shoes on his feet: 

And bring hither the fatted calf, and kill it ; and let 
us eat, and be merry : 

For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he 
was lost, and is found. And they began to be merry. 

John 1. 1-5 

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was 
with God, and the Word was God. 
The same was in the beginning with God. 



PASSAGES FOK SPECIAL STUDY 217 

All things were made by him ; and without him w T as 
not any thing made that was made. 

In him was life; and the life was the light of men. 

And the light shineth in darkness ; and the darkness 
comprehended it not. 

John 3. 7-12 

Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born 
again. 

The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest 
the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, 
and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of 
the Spirit. 

Nicodemus answered and said unto him, How can 
these things be? 

Jesus answered and said unto him, Art thou a mas- 
ter of Israel, and knowest not these things? 

Verily, verily, I say unto thee, We speak that we do 
know, and testify that we have seen; and ye receive 
not our witness. 

If I have told you earthly things, and ye believe not, 
how shall ye believe, if I tell you of heavenly things? 

Acts 17. 22-31 

Then Paul stood in the midst of Mars' Hill, and 
said, Ye men of Athens, I perceive that in all things 
ye are too superstitious. 

For as I passed by, and beheld your devotions, I 
found an altar with this inscription, TO THE UN- 
KNOWN GOD. Whom therefore ye ignorantly wor- 
ship, him declare I unto you. 

God that made the world and all things therein, see- 
ing that he is Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not 
in temples made w T ith hands; 

Neither is worshiped with men's hands, as though 
he needed any thing, seeing he giveth to all life, and 
breath, and all things; 

And hath made of one blood all nations of men for 



218 THE ENGLISH BIBLE 

to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath deter- 
mined the times before appointed, and the bounds of 
their habitation ; 

That they should seek the Lord, if haply they might 
feel after him, and find him, though he be not far from 
every one of us : 

For in him we live, and move, and have our being; 
as certain also of your own poets have said, For we are 
also his offspring. 

Forasmuch then as we are the offspring of God, we 
ought not to think that the Godhead is like unto gold, 
or silver, or stone, graven by art and man's device. 

And the times of this ignorance God winked at ; but 
now commandeth all men every where to repent : 

Because he hath appointed a day, in the which he 
will judge the world in righteousness by that man 
whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given as- 
surance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from 
the dead. 

Acts 28. 1-5 

And when they were escaped, then they knew that 
the island was called Melita. 

And the barbarous people showed us no little kind- 
ness : for they kindled a fire, and received us every one, 
because of the present rain, and because of the cold. 

And when Paul had gathered a bundle of sticks, and 
laid them on the fire, there came a viper out of the 
heat, and fastened on his hand. 

And when the barbarians saw the venomous beast 
hang on his hand, they said among themselves, No 
doubt this man is a murderer, whom, though he hath 
escaped the sea, yet vengeance suffereth not to live. 
And he shook off the beast into the fire, and felt no 
harm. 

Romans 5. 1-8 

Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace 



PASSAGES FOR SPECIAL STUDY 219 

with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: By whom 
also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we 
stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. 

And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: 
knowing that tribulation worketh patience; 

And patience, experience; and experience, hope: 

And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of 
God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost 
which is given unto us. 

For when we were yet without strength, in due time 
Christ died for the ungodly. 

For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet 
peradventure for a good man some would even dare to 
die. 

But God commencleth his love toward us, in that, 
while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. 

Romans 8. 35-39 

Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall 
tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or 
nakedness, or peril, or sword? 

As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the 
day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. 

Nay, in all these things we are more than conquer- 
ors through him that loved us. 

For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor 
angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things pres- 
ent, nor things to come, 

Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall 
be able to separate us from the love of God, which is 
in Christ Jesus our Lord. 

1 Corinthians 13. 1-13 

Though I speak with the tongues of men and of 
angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding 
brass, or a tinkling cymbal. 



220 . THE ENGLISH BIBLE 

And though I have the gift of prophecy, and under- 
stand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I 
have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and 
have not charity, I am nothing. 

And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, 
and though I give my body to be burned, and have not 
charity, it profiteth me nothing. 

Charity sufif ereth long, and is kind ; charity envieth 
not ; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up. 

Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, 
is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil; 

Eejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth ; 

Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all 
things, endureth all things. 

Charity never f aileth : but whether there be prophe- 
cies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they 
shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish 
away. 

For we know in part, and we prophesy in part. 

But when that which is perfect is come, then that 
which is in part shall be done away. 

When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood 
as a child, I thought as a child : but when I became a 
man, I put away childish things. 

For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then 
face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I 
know even as also I am known. 

And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; 
but the greatest of these is charity. 

1 Corinthians 15. 40-44- 

There are also celestial bodies, and bodies terrestrial : 
but the glory of the celestial is one, and the glory of 
the terrestrial is another. 

There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of 
the moon, and another glory of the stars : for one star 
differeth from another star in glory. 



PASSAGES FOR SPECIAL STUDY 221 

So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown 
in corruption ; it is raised in incorruption : 

It is sown in dishonor; it is raised in glory: it is 
sown in weakness; it is raised in power: It is sown a 
natural body ; it is raised a spiritual body. There is a 
natural body, and there is a spiritual body. 



CHAPTER XXVI 

TOPICS FOR EXTENDED STUDY 

The list of topics in this chapter is designed for those 
students whose time permits them to do work beyond 
the regular assignments; and also for those whose in- 
terest in the subject will not cease with the completion 
of this book. Some of them may be mastered in a short 
time and others will afford opportunity for extended 
investigation. 

1. Indicate the elements of strength in the following 

passages : "In the beginning God created the 
heavens and the earth"; "There was a man in 
the land of Uz whose name was Job" ; "Ye must 
be born again." 

2. Read Job 28, Psalm 23, and 1 Corinthians 13 in the 

King James Version and the Revised Version, 
and make a comparison between them from a 
literary point of view. This exercise may be ex- 
tended indefinitely. 

3. Make a study of Saint Paul as a philosopher, a 

theologian, and a man of letters. 

4. Compare the picture of the early Christians drawn 

in Acts with that in Quo Vadis. 

5. How far does Milton's Samson Agonistes follow 

the narrative in Judges? 

6. Compare Tennyson's "Dora" with the book of Ruth. 

7. Compare Milton's style in his poems in which bib- 

lical allusions are numerous with those like Co- 
mus and II Penseroso in which the allusions are 
chiefly to the Greek and Roman classics. 

8. In considering man's relation to God the figure of 

the potter and the clay is frequently employed. 
Study the treatment of this theme by Saint Paul 
222 



TOPICS FOR EXTENDED STUDY 223 

(Romans 9. 20-23) ; Browning ("Rabbi Ben 
Ezra") ; Omar Khayyam (The Rubaiyat, 82- 
90) ; Milton ("Paradise Lost/' Books V and X) ; 
Carlyle ("Past and Present"); Isaiah 64. 8; 
Jeremiah 18. 1-6; and Shakespeare (Henry VIII, 
11,2). 
9. Study the topic "Unfulfilled Aspirations" as treated 
by Saint Paul: When I would do good, evil is 
present with me; Ovid: Video et probo ineliora, 
sed deteriora sequor; Tennyson (Maud, X, 6) : 
And ah for a man to rise in me that the man 
I am might cease to be; 

Tennyson: "The Two Voices"; Browning 
("Rabbi Ben Ezra") : What I aspired to be and 
was not comforts me ; 

Browning (Abt Vogler) : All that we have 
willed or dreamed of good shall exist; not its 
semblance but itself; 

Browning ("Andrea del Sarto") : 
"I do what many dream of all their lives. 
Dream? Strive to do, and agonize to do, 
And fail in doing. I could count twenty such 
On twice your fingers, and not leave this town ; 

Chapman: 'Tis immortality to die aspiring, 
As if a man were taken quick to heaven." 

Burns (Address to the Unco Guid) : 
Who made the heart, 'tis he alone 

Decidedly can try us, 
He knows each bird — its various tone, 

Each spring — its various bias: 
Then at the balance, let's be mute, 

We never can adjust it; 
What's done we partly may compute, 

But know not what's resisted. 



224 THE ENGLISH BIBLE 

Many other topics will recur to the student 
whose treatment by various authors will be found 
interesting and profitable. 

10. Read Browning's "Saul," "A Death in the Desert," 

and "Caliban upon Setebos," and note the au- 
thor's departure from the biblical narratives. 

11. Compare the theories of living as set forth in Eecle- 

siastes and the "Rubaiyat" (Fitzgerald's trans- 
lation). 

12. Make a list of extra-biblical passages from "Para- 

dise Lost." 

13. Make a list of extra-biblical passages from "Para- 

dise Regained." 

14. Show how the Spirit of the Bible is illustrated in 

"The 'Higher Pantheism," "Enoch Arden," 
"Crossing the Bar/' "Locksley Hall." Would you 
call Tennyson a Christian poet? 

15. Read the following poems from Whittier and com- 

pare them with corresponding passages of Scrip- 
ture. Make a list of the direct and indirect refer- 
ences. 

"The Holy Land." 

"Palestine." 

"Ezekiel." 

"The Wife of Manoah to her Husband." 

"The Cities of the Plain." 

"The Crucifixion." 

"The Star of Bethlehem." 

16. Read Longfellow's "Christus," and make a list 

of the scripture passages to which reference is 
made. 

17. Make a special study of Shakespeare's use of quota- 

tions from Proverbs. 
IS. Make a critical comparison of Paul's Address on 
Mars' Hill with Lincoln's Gettysburg Address, 
Note the similarity in length. 



CHAPTEE XXVII 

EXAMINATION QUESTIONS 

The sets of questions in this chapter have been used 
by the author with good success, and they are printed 
as guides for those who may wish to examine students 
upon the course outlined in this book. The first list of 
twenty questions has been designated as an "intelli- 
gence test" on the assumption that the student's gen- 
eral intelligence ought to enable him to answer them. 
One's definition of "general intelligence" undergoes 
revision as a result of the examination. 

Preliminary Examination 
I 

1. What books comprise the Pentateuch? 

2. What book contains the narrative of the giving of 
the Ten Commandments? 

3. Who was Miriam? Jephthah's daughter? 

4. Who said, Thou art the man? 

5. Who has been mentioned as the author of Job? 

6. Who were the minor prophets? 

7. Which is the most popular Psalm? 

8. Name two characters in the Song of Solomon. 

9. What book does not mention the name of God? 

10. In what book is Samson mentioned? 

11. Which are the Synoptic Gospels? 

12. Who wrote the book of Acts? 

13. Describe briefly the conversion of Saul of Tarsus. 

14. In which Gospel is the expression "Verily, 
verily/' found? 

15. Name three of Paul's Epistles. 

16. Who said, What is truth? 

225 



226 THE ENGLISH BIBLE 

17. Complete the verse, And now abideth faith, hope, 
charity, these three. 

18. What book in the Old Testament closely resem- 
bles Bevelation? 

19. Tell the story of Ananias and Sapphira. 

20. Which disciple doubted Christ's resurrection? 

II 

1. Write five quotations from the Pentateuch which 
have a literary value. Do not include those given in 
Question 6. 

2. Tell the story of Jephthah's daughter, of Moses at 
the burning bush, and Esau's selling of his birthright. 

3. King Lear in speaking of Cordelia refers to the 
"Barbarous Scythian'' and also says, "He that parts 
us shall bring a brand from heaven, and fire us hence 
like foxes." Give the biblical settings. 

4. In the following cases give the setting and the 
biblical reference: 

a. Germany promised bread, she gave a stone 
(Anon.). 

&. Clouds and darkness are round about him (Gar- 
field). 

c. Thy people shall be my people, and thy God my 
God (Hoar). 

5. What is meant by "cultural reverence"? Has it 
any special application to the study of the Bible? 

6. Write paragraphs containing the following quo- 
tations used in a literary sense : The woman gave me 
of the tree and I did eat; Am I my brother's keeper? 
The voice is Jacob's voice; but the hands are the hands 
of Esau; A stranger in a strange land. 

Model: Brown had been working faithfully under 
the old bank president for thirty years; but "there 
arose up a new king which knew not Joseph," and he 
lost his place. 



EXAMINATION QUESTIONS 227 

III 

1. Name the oldest song in the Bible, quote what 
you can of it, and give one interpretation. 

2. Give the biblical setting and the literary meaning 
of the following passages : "The glory is departed from 
Israel" ; "Loose thy shoe from off thy foot" ; "The stars 
in their courses fought against Sisera." 

3. Give the principal incidents in the story of Ba- 
laam and Balak; or 

4. Give the principal incidents in the story of Kahab 
and the spies. 

5. Compare the use of the Bible made by Shakespeare 
and Milton, as to extent and manner. 

6. Lowell says: 

" ? Tis not the grapes of Canaan that repay, 
But the high faith that failed not by the way." 
Explain fully. 

7. Write a list of Old Testament books of narratives. 

IV 

1. Write an example of aposiopesis from Genesis. 

2. Of sarcasm from Job. 

3. Of hyperbole from John. 

4. Of irony from 1 Kings. 

5. Name and illustrate the three classes of parallel- 
ism. 

6. What are the divisions of the book of Job? 

7. State briefly the purpose of each division. 

8. Discuss the subject, "Unfulfilled Aspirations," as 
treated by Tennyson in "Maud" and "Timbuctoo"; 
Browning in "Rabbi Ben Ezra" and Abt Vogler ; Ovid ; 
and Saint Paul. 

9. Tell the story of the events leading to the Song 
of Deborah. Write two frequently quoted passages, 
and an illustration of sarcasm. 

10. Tell the story of Esther, and comment upon the 
four leading characters. 



228 THE ENGLISH BIBLE 



1. How are the following passages used in literature? 

a. There were giants in the earth in those days. 

b. A land flowing with milk and honey. 

c. They hanged Haman on the gallows that he had 
prepared for Mordecai. 

d. Thou shalt not muzzle the ox when he treadeth 
out the corn. 

e. Is Saul also among the prophets ? 

2. Outline the following biblical narratives : 
a. The courtship of Isaac and Bebekah. 

6. Saul and the witch of Endor. 

c. The story of Hezekiah and the sundial. 

d. The story of Buth; or 
d. The story of Esther. 

3. Write a short literary criticism on the Song of 
Deborah and Barak. 

4. Write two biblical quotations from Shakespeare, 
one from Milton, two from Tennyson, one from Long- 
fellow, and three from the orators. 

5. Write biblical illustrations of the following 
figures of speech : climax, parallelism, exaggera- 
tion, irony or sarcasm, the pun. 

6. Give Bible settings for the following : 

Thomas Hardy (Napoleon) : "Not Bussia but God's 
sky has conquered me." 



Alfred de Vigny (Bichelieu) : He has had a Pisgah 
view of the promised land. 

Beginald Heber (Palestine) : 

No hammers fell, no ponderous axes rung; 
Like some tall palm the mystic fabric sprung. 

Longfellow (Morituri Salutamus) : 

Let not him boast who puts his armor on, 
As he who puts it off ; the battle done. 



EXAMINATION QUESTIONS 229 

Whittier (Hymns) : 

With that deep voice which from the skies, 
Forbade the patriarch's sacrifice, 
God's angel cries, "Forbear." 

VI 

1. Give two methods of interpreting Ecclesiastes 
and two of the Song of Solomon. 

2. Write a brief paper on "Ecclesiastes : a Theory of 
Life." 

3. Write two familiar quotations from the Song of 
Solomon and interpret them. 

4. Describe the acrostic form used in Lamentations. 

5. Write and explain three biblical quotations from 
Whittier. 

6. Write a list of the Old Testament books, and after 
each note the class to which it belongs. 

VII 

1. State the six divisions of the book of Job and 
the speakers in each division. 

2. Write a brief outline of the first and second 
rounds of the debate, and give an explanation of the 
irregularity in the third round. 

3. Compare the book of Job with any of the other 
four skeptical dramas (Owen), and state the under- 
lying principle of a skeptical drama. 

4. Write five biblical quotations from Lowell. 

5. Quote a verse or passage illustrating a Psalm or 
humility, a nature Psalm, and an imprecatory Psalm. 

6. Explain the use of Psalm 24 as a ritualistic 
service. 

VIII 

1. Name the major prophets and distinguish them 
from the minor prophets. 



230 THE ENGLISH BIBLE 

2. Write four of the best passages from Isaiah. 

3. Describe the circumstances under which Jere- 
miah was written, and characterize its literary value. 

4. Write a frequently quoted proverb from Ezekiel. 

5. Outline the story of Daniel in the lions' den; or, 
the story of the three Hebrew children. 

6. How does the book of Daniel differ from the other 
Old Testament books, and with what New Testament 
book may it be compared? 

IX 

1. Describe the political conditions under which 
Amos and Hosea wrote. 

2. Outline the striking method of appeal employed 
by Amos in the first two chapters. 

3. Compare Micah's teachings with those of modern 
socialistic reformers. 

4. What is the lesson of the book of Jonah? 

5. Name three prophets of the restoration period and 
give their messages. 



1. Outline the following New Testament narratives : 
The visit of the Wise Men ; the temptation of Jesus ; 

the death of John the Baptist; the transfiguration of 
Jesus. 

2. Discuss the literary characteristics of the four 
gospels. 

3. Write a brief essay on Jesus' method of teach- 
ing, and use several examples. 

4. Wherein lie the literary power and charm of the 
Sermon on the Mount? 

5. Tell the story of the conversion of Saul of Tarsus. 

6. Compare the styles of preaching employed by 
Peter and Paul. 



EXAMINATION QUESTIONS 231 

7. Why does Paul's address on Mars' Hill possess a 
high literary value? 

XI 

1. Write a list of Paul's epistles in chronological 
order. 

2. Many critics hold that Paul's system of theology 
was not based directly upon the teachings of Jesus. 
What is your opinion? 

3. Write three or four of the finest passages from 
Paul's epistles. 

4. What is the theme of the Epistle to the Hebrews ? 

5. What are some of the perplexing questions which 
have arisen concerning the shorter letters in the New 
Testament ? 

6. How would you characterize the book of Revela- 
tion? 

XII 

1. Explain the following biblical references: 
Whether it be that in which the psalmist, weary of the 
persecutions of bad men, wisheth to himself dove's 
wings — or that other, which, with a like measure of 
sobriety and pathos, inquireth by what means the 
young man shall cleanse his mind (Charles Lamb). 
Wits spoke of him secretly as if he were a kind of 
Melchizedek, without father or mother of any kind 
(Thomas Carlyle). What is truth? said jesting Pi- 
late, and would not stay for an answer (Francis Ba- 
con). 

2. Amos and Hosea : Period, message, literary char- 
acter of their writings. 

3. Write three quotations from the Second Isaiah 
which have a literary value. 

4. What is your interpretation of the book of 
Jonah? Explain. 

5. Tell the story of Belshazzar's feast and give a 
common quotation. 



232 THE ENGLISH BIBLE 

A SUGGESTED FINAL EXAMINATION 

XIII 

1. Write correctly seven of the ten passages which 
have been selected as being especially noteworthy from 
a literary point of view. 

2. Discuss the relation of the clay and the potter as 
treated by Saint Paul, Browning, Carlyle, and Omar 
Khayyam. 

3. What is the problem of the book of Job? What 
solutions are suggested? 

4. Write three illustrations of Jesus' skill in an- 
swering difficult questions. 

5. Write a criticism of the book of Ecclesiastes. 

6. Quote three familiar selections from American 
orators based upon the Bible. Give their setting both 
in the orations and in the Bible. 

7. Write four biblical references from the Soliloquy 
in a Spanish Cloister. 

8. Tell the story of Buth. While this should be con- 
densed try and keep the literary style as closely as 
possible. 

9. Outline two interpretations of the Song of Solo- 
mon. 

10. Quotations from Shakespeare: 
"By Jacob's staff, I swear." 

"Thou knowest in the state of innocency Adam fell." 
Give the setting of the quotation both in Shakespeare 
and in the Bible. 



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